In the wake of the canceled 21st Century Project, the California Department of Technology is developing a Consulting and Planning Division to send out a "strike team" to help state departments in need of help with their IT projects. In a Senate Oversight Hearing concerning the 21st Century Project, Department of Technology Director Carlos Ramos said the new team would focus on both oversight and coaching.
According to Mary Winkley, who is working on developing the new division, the strike team will "help projects ‘get over the hump’ when they run into particularly vexing issues."
A recent review of department IT project portfolios showed a need for more intensive assistance.
The service is more specialized than what the Department of Technology has offered in the past. The department is currently looking at how to best leverage existing resources to staff the effort.
"The idea with this division is that the resources will be readily available to help departments who need to resolve an issue very quickly so as to not impede the project’s progress," Winkley said in an email.
Winkley was formerly the head of the Information Technology Project Oversight and Consulting Division, and is being replaced by Kari Gutierrez.
