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MDERNIZATION continued from page 29

the planned incremental moderniza- tion will reach the ultimate vision and realization of the goals and benefits promised to obtain funding approval (see Chart 3). The Trip from New York to San Francisco Anyone who has ever taken a road trip knows that they can be fun and, if well planned, can be less costly than simply jumping on an airplane and flying direct. In addition, anyone experienced with air travel today knows that ticket prices seem to only be getting higher, delays are common, and the experience of being crammed in a shrinking economy seat for hours on end is, at best, uncomfortable. In short, an airplane may still be the fastest way to get from point A to point B, but it may not always be the best. A road trip provides some advan- tages. You are not confined to the plane, you have options regarding what route to take, you can decide mid-trip to take a detour or to change course entirely. You might even decide to drive your

waiver, as well as the availability of state cost share and budget timing. � Timeline: The duration and sequencing of initiatives must be rational and take into account inter- dependencies both with initiatives that are part of the transformation effort as well as other initiatives that may be occurring within the agency or broader enterprise. � Procurement strategy: Consideration must be given to state procurement requirements and restrictions, potentially warranting consultation with the procurement office. Procurement is often the “long pole in the tent” for transformation initiatives, so emphasis should be placed on efficient approaches that reduce time lost to the procurement cycle, including potential com- promise on technical options and sequencing of initiatives. The completed roadmap serves a key artifact that can give state executive sponsors, as well as federal funding agencies, a clear line of sight for how

own car part of the way and then jump on an airplane if it makes sense to quickly advance to the next stop. If you decide to take the hypothetical IT transformation road trip, it is impor- tant that state executives understand that they retain much greater respon- sibility for getting from Point A to Point B. As a result, it is critical that the journey begin with a clear idea of where you are headed and an initial approach on how to get there that con- siders the priorities and constraints your agency may have. Without that clear plan, you may spend years and millions of dollars and find yourself right back where you started. Thank you to Deirdre Brodie, Mark Calem, and David Hansell, who contrib- uted to this article. Reference Note 1. McGrath, Rita. “The Pace of Technology Adoption is Speeding Up.” Harvard Business Review, November 25, 2013. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/11/ the-pace-of-technology-adoption-is- speeding-up/

Chart 3: Sample KERA Roadmap

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