When John Borasi joined the state Department of Education to oversee special projects, he focused first on one that was struggling and needed a fix.
“It’s good news, it’s medium news or it’s bad news, but it’s got to be news,” Borasi related. What followed was, in a nutshell, how a potentially sticky problem could be resolved with the help of the vendor.
He and the vendor identified the problem areas and then broke down every element that was within their control to fix -- without changing timelines or costs.
They got the project across the finish line, and Borasi attributed that success to open communication and working closely with the vendor.
Borasi related this anecdote while speaking on a panel about managing state/vendor partnerships at California's Public Sector CIO Academy last week.
Careful not to point fingers and remain neutral, vendors and state representatives shared strategies to improve the partnerships that drive state projects and innovations. Included above are the takeaways from both perspectives.
Also as part of the CIO Academy panel:
Kevin Matsuo, CIO of the Department of Education, highlighted the need for nurturing the relationship to stay on schedule and on budget, especially with multiyear projects.
Ram Pisapati, director of systems engineering for Dimension Data, echoed that sentiment. "The bottom line is, we want a partnership; we don't want a one-time project," he said. "We want this to be successful on both sides."
