In October, the State of California will launch a new education program designed to improve the skills of technology project managers, Department of Technology (CalTech) Director Carlos Ramos announced this week at an event. The announcement comes after California’s most recent high-profile project failure to modernize its payroll system led to an Senate oversight hearing and the creation of an IT procurement task force that has recommended, among other things, a statewide project management office modeled after the Office of Systems Integration (OSI) within the Health and Human Services Agency.
"A large part of what we need to do is help train and educate folks within the state as to how do you&hellipeffectively run a project," said Ramos. "This is a first effort to launch an education program that’s going to lead into a year-long project academy. We are going to take California experts that have California experience on California projects and we are going to ask them to come in and teach project teams, how do you successfully manage a project, how do you successfully deliver it."
The project academy will be modeled after the IT Leadership Academy that has trained state technology leaders for more than 20 years.
Ramos also said that California is partnering with UC Davis to develop a class on business analysis and business requirements to be offered through the Office of Technology Services training center in Rancho Cordova. The class will be tailored for state government staff and integrate with the department’s new approach to designing, approving and implementing major IT projects.
Earlier this month at a Senate oversight hearing on the suspended 21st Century Project, Ramos announced that Mary Winkley, who was in charge of the CalTech’s oversight program, will head up a new state strike team to be deployed to help troubled projects get back on track. He also said the Brown Administration is considering whether California needs a statewide project management office similar to OSI, where he once served as director.
