Intergovernmental Project Wins National Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 3, 1998
Contact: Ben Meyers
(518) 442-3892
     

Albany, NY - "Tying a Sensible Knot," the New York State-Local Information Systems Project, has won a national award for excellence from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). The state-local information system project is the first attempt in the United States to analyze and document successful practices in intergovernmental information systems. The project is one of ten selected for the 1998 awards for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Information Technology and represents the Statewide Policy, Planning, and Management category.

To better understand how effective state-local information systems are built, the Center for Technology in Government (CTG), the New York State Office for Technology (OFT), and the Office for Technology's Special Work Group on Intergovernmental Information Systems coordinated efforts to identify best practices from eleven state-local information system projects throughout New York State ranging from real property assessment to vital records programs to probation services. The project involved more than 150 New York state and local officials representing 17 state agencies, 19 counties, 7 cities, 28 towns, and 2 villages. Teams from 11 intergovernmental information system projects helped document current issues, defined characteristics of ideal systems, and, through surveys and interviews, shared their good and bad experiences in developing intergovernmental information systems. As a result, a set of tools and recommendations were developed to help others design and construct effective information systems.

The best practices and principles identified through the project are the cornerstone of the handbook, "Tying a Sensible Knot: A Practical Guide to State-Local Information Systems." This handbook offers state and local officials a variety of practices that project managers and participants can use to develop successful state-local information systems. It identifies issues that constrain success and environmental factors that lie outside the control of the project team. The handbook also emphasizes collaborative development of information systems, recognizes the diversity among local communities, and recommends ways to integrate systems with local business processes and existing systems.

The mission of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany is to foster public sector innovation, enhance capability, generate public value, and support good governance. We carry out this mission through applied research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration at the intersection of policy, management, and technology.