Chapter 4 – Information Technology

42010.5 ITS Pilot Projects

• Pilot projects are scaled down versions of an overall project. They are intended to provide information on cost savings/avoidance, technology use, or performance of bench marking in order to justify implementation of the full project. A pilot project is a subset of the overall project and is subject to the same approval process as the full project.

• Many projects are approved through the Office of Information Technology (OITOffice of Information Technology) and the FSRFeasibility Study Reports process contingent upon pilot justification of the project.

• The typical contents of a Pilot Implementation and Evaluation Plan include the sections and contents described below:

  • Program Performance Improvements

    • This section defines the programmatic functions to be included in the pilot. It should include a description of the current processes, a description of the new processes, and a plan that includes quantified measurements for evaluating before-and-after program performance.

  • Physical and Technical Characteristics

    • This section describes the physical and technical characteristics of the pilot. It shall include descriptions of sites, equipment, software, and telecommunications as well as any other technical resources that are needed to complete the pilot.

  • Information Requirements

    • This section defines the informational processing requirements of the pilot. It should include definitions of data inputs (source, type, volume, timing, media, files, edits, etc.), processes (response times, interfaces, security, etc.), and outputs (reports and displays).

  • Security Requirements

    • This section addresses the process to be used to determine the potential problems and risks, the controls necessary to safeguard the information hardware and software of the pilot, and the fully-implemented system. Typically, a risk analysis as described in DOMDepartment Operations Manual 49030 shall supply the necessary information. The completion of this requirement is especially important since necessary security controls can often increase the required budget.

  • Financial Requirements

    • This section contains an estimate of all costs associated with the pilot phase of the project. Project accounting shall be defined so that actual pilot costs and benefits can be compared against estimates, and then used as a basis to refine full implementation estimates.

  • Operational Recovery Requirement

    • This section addresses the process to be used to determine the operational recovery requirements. A pilot project shall have an operational recovery plan just for the pilot, and shall address the issue of operational recovery of the proposed fully-implemented system. Often, operational recovery processes add to the overall cost of the project. All critical departmental systems shall have an operational recovery plan as part of their implementation (see DOMDepartment Operations Manual 44000).

  • Management Plan

    • This section contains a pilot management plan. The plan shall include:

      • Pilot responsibilities.

      • Pilot schedule.

      • Pilot reporting and review.

• Any special requirements shall be identified such as training, conversion, or impact on existing operations.

• At the end of the pilot and before continuing with the project, a Post Implementation Evaluation Report (PIERPost Implementation Evaluation Report) shall be completed and submitted to either the departmental MISManagement Information Systems Committee or OITOffice of Information Technology for review. The pilot PIERPost Implementation Evaluation Report shall contain an assessment of programmatic performance during the pilot. The results of the pilot PIERPost Implementation Evaluation Report shall be used to re-evaluate the analysis completed for the original feasibility study and, if necessary, be used to make changes to the project FSRFeasibility Study Reports.

• Once the pilot PIERPost Implementation Evaluation Report is approved and any necessary changes are made to the original FSRFeasibility Study Reports, the pilot PIERPost Implementation Evaluation Report shall be reviewed and the project may be initiated upon its approval.