June Minutes

ITAC MEETING MINUTES
June 18, 2009

Attendees: Gloria McNeill, Teresa Justice, Niamh Darcy, Robert Michaud, Vass Johnson, Hank Cox

Wake County: Sean Fiene, Lib Wanner
Due to work schedules, Dr. Marc Hoit, Reginald Brown, John Killebrew and Darryl McGraw could not attend the meeting.

The meeting began at 9:05 a.m.

Lib Wanner welcomed everyone to the meeting and ensured that all members had received the proper documentation.

IT Governance Presentation & Discussion
Lib opened the meeting by having the committee open the IT Governance Power Point presentation and explained the concepts she used when creating the new approach for IT Governance at Wake County. The discussion moved to decision-making roles and responsibilities and how those roles affect the work of the IT Department. Lib asked if others have dedicated people within their IT department that are assigned to business units. Vass Johnson said they did not have this at Wake County Public Schools, Gloria McNeil stated that her team is moving toward that setup, and Robert Michaud said his organization is moving that way, as well. Robert emphasized the difficulties in the transition from a technical perspective to that of business analyst, where the softer skills of how to interact effectively with others is needed. All agreed that these were needed skills for business analysts. Niamh Darcy stated that the people who are in these roles in her organization (RTI) have the needed combination of technical and interpersonal skills, which make them effective in managing relationships.

The presentation turned to the relationship of IT and other business units and how much responsibility is given to that business unit when working on a technology-related project. Lib asked if others looked at the possibility of giving the business units more responsibility for project success. Members indicated that the level of responsibility was dependent on the technology skills and interests in the business unit. Niamh indicated that it would be good to have a way for the business units to provide IT with ideas and suggestions at any time. Lib agreed.

The discussion then turned to the prioritization of projects and the County’s use of the project portfolio. Lib discussed how she planned to engage the business units in priority setting. Vass stated that he liked how the Wake County IS Department is willing to engage the other departments and work with them on setting priorities in tough times. Lib then asked the group if working with employees below the management group would be helpful. Response were given by the committee that there may be a sense of empowerment by giving the lower-level employees new responsibility, but the quality of the feedback may depend on the interest level in the project.

Updated Board Appointments Policy from the Clerk to the Board of Commissioners
Lib gave a quick overview of the Board Appointment Policy and Ethics Policy and asked the committee if they had any questions. The committee members indicated that they had no questions for Lib.

Announcements
Lib announced that the ITAC committee will break for July and August and reconvene in September.

Other Business
No new business to report.

The ITAC members thanked Lib for the presentation delivered, and Lib Wanner thanked the group for their input and participation.

Meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.