D001398C I T Y O F S A I N T P A U L
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
�proved Copies to:
- City Clerk (Original)
- Financial Services -Accounting
- Requesting Dept.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER:
BUDGET REVISION
No:
Date:
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER, Consistent with the authority granted to the Mayor in Section 10.07A of the City Charter and based
on the request of the Director of the Depar6nent of Technology and Management Services to amend the 1997 Budget of the
General Fund, the Director of the �ce of Financial Services is authorized to amend said budget as follows:
DEPARTMENT 8� DNISION: CURRENT APPROVEQ AMENDED
FUND , ACTNITY AND OBJECT: BUDGET CHANGES BUDGET
Technofogy and Management Services
information Services
GL - 001 -01115-0111 Full Time Permanent 1,623,289 (75,000) 1,548,289
GL - 001 -01115-0219 Fees - Other Professional Services 23,000 75,000 98,000
All Other Activity Spending 1,148,372 1,148,372
2,794,661 0 2,794,661
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App v by: Director of Financial Se ices Date
�� ����Q'X
& Management Seroices
Mullan 6-8538
TOTAL # OF StGNATURE PAGES
�a0��8
GREEN SHEET N_ 2322 t
INITIAVbA7E INRIAVDA7E �
�DEPAfl7MENTDIRECfOfi �CfiYCAUNCIL
� CITYATfONNEY CRYCLERK
� BUDGETDIflECTOR Q FIN. & MGT. SERVICES Olfl.
��YDRI�p��STANn � Cynthia Mullan/IS
(CLIP ALl LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATUR�
Approval of Ad�3nistrative Order for Budret Revision transferring funds from Object
Code -0100s- to Object Code -0219- in Activity 01115.
_ PI.ANNMG COMMISSION _ CML SERVICE COMMISSION
_ CIB CAMMRTEE _
_ STAFF _
_ DISTAICTCOUFiT _
SUPPORTS WHICH fAUNCIL OBJECTIVE7
PERSONAL SERVICE CONTflACTS MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING �UESTIONS:
1. Has ttiis perso�rm ever worked under a confiact for [his departmeM?
YES NO
2. Has this person/firm ever been a city employee?
YES NO
3. Does fhis person/firtn possess a skill not normally possessad by any curcent city employee?
YES NO
Expleln all yea answars on Separate sheet antl attach to gree� sheet
INITIATING PROBLEM, ISSUE, OPPORTUNIN (Who, What, When, Where Why.):
IS has severa] staff vacancies resulUng from resignations and r�assignment of staff to speclal projects such as HRMS. IS has not been successful in
filling these vacancies becavse the demand for technical employees in the Twin Cities is high and the CiTy is not able to offer the salary and signing
bonuses available in the private sector. IS is currently undergoing a Job C1assSfication study to determine more appropriate 6tles and pay scales so that it
can compete for the available ca�didates. IS anflcipates that more technical staff will leave the City and the problems of finding quatified individuals will
increase. IS is also intemally posting assignment vacancies in an attempt to offer technical employees professional opportnnities that will encourage them
to continue with the City. IS will be authodzed to add several new posiGOns in 1998. When existing and new vacancies caru�ot be filled, planned
projects ca�uiot move forwazd. This request seeks to use funds iemaining from nnfilled vacancies to purchase conuacted technical assistance until
permanent employees can be found.
�S wil.l have su££icient sta�f .to maintain existing anplications, provide network installation
and administratioA sunport, imnlement a centralized fielp desk strategy, implement a central-
ized fleet management system and renovate dated apulications. IS wi11 also be able to
examine and nlan for cr3tical issues such as Year 2000 and disaster recovery. See attached
memorandum of Sne 18, 1997 on 1007 TS Strategic Goals and Projects.
None. The cost o� not transferring this money may be much greater than the short teru�
benefits o£ adding to the fund balance, ����`���
DEC 9 1997
��r�r c��R�c
._._........___ .. .._. ... . ..----
If this is not apprwed, YS anti;cipates that the siCuation will 3eteriorate raPidly
increasing the City�s risk nf Ios3ng key technical applications and capabilities. The
quality, responsiveness and amount of customer services will decrease. This will have a
negative impact on the ability of otfier City employees to perform their jobs. Projects that
have gone through the feasibil3ty, nlanning and funding process will not be developed and
implemented due to a lcak of staff resources. Resignations may increase as technical staff
become overworked, su££er burn aut and decide to take advantage of the lucrative marketPlace.
/ 75, 00(3
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSACTION $
FUNDINGSOURCE General Fund
FINANCIAL INFORMATION: (EXPLAIN)
COST/REVENUE BUDGETED (CIRCLE ONE) VES NO
ACTIVITYNUMBEp �1115 �C-no+ ac�.iL -
DEPARTMENTOFTECHNOLOGY AND
MANAGEMENT SERVICES �/�h � � ('�
MarlF[aLarson,Direclor (J�� ��
CITY OF SAINT PAUL
Norm Coleman, M¢yor
TO:
From:
Date:
Re:
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Council members
Martha Larson
Cindy Mullan
June 18, 1997
290CiryHal! Te[epkorte: 612-266-8797
IS W. Kel(ogg Boulevard Fatsimi(e: 672-266-8919
SairtlP¢u[. Minnesota 55102
Progress To Date: 1997 IS Strategic Goals
We are pleased to report on our progress to date in accomplishing the 1997 strategic goals
of the new IS organization. As we have noted in eazlier communications to you, we
recognize that we must be a dynamic, responsive organization that is able to anticipate and
adapt to constant change in our environment and customer needs. Therefore, unanticipated
priorities will occasionally require us to focus on those immediate, unplanned needs at the
expense of accomplishing our stated workplan objectives. Having acknowledged that, the
following remain onr top priorities and focus azeas. Some of these goals represent specific
activities and deliverables that will be accomplished within 1997. Others aze more difficult
to quantify and measure, but represent very important evolutions in our culture and
management philosophy. All of ouz work in 1997 is underpinned by two principles: that we
apply technology to deliver City services most effectively, and that we maximize the return
on the City's investment in technology.
(Note: Only those tasks targeted for completion in the first half of 1997 have been included
in this status report.)
We have noted below a handful of significant efforts in the first part of 1997, which took IS
management and staff time, that were not initially anticipated in creating our 1997
workplan. We recognize that this is the nature of our operation - to be flexible enough to
meet demands for unanticipated services as well as those we planned for. However, the
need to keep our resources flexible and responsive is nnade a greater challenge when efforts
like those below require the amount of time and staff involvement that these have
warranted:
Development of the 1998 Technology Initiatives budget, and inclusion of the
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customer departments in this process �J11� 1��
2. Assistance to the HRlpayrolUbenefits administrauon system replacement project
team in its planning and prepazation for this major, multi year, enterprise-wide
system implementation
• 3. Assistance to LIEP in its oversight and management of the ECLTPS project
4. Finalizing the Ciry e mail policy (applicable to City staff and management)
5. Development and distribution of our survey to define the City's strategic direction
for use of the Internet
6. Kicking off our review and redefinition of technical titles and related position
descriptions
7. Coordinating and implementing a multi-department and office upgrade to Novell
4.1, for Pazks, PED, IS, LIEP and Fire
8. Assistance to Police and Libraries in addressing network implementation and
support issues associated with new systems in their departments; this include
reassignment of current staff and assistance in hiring a new staff person for Librazies
We also believe that we have made substantial progress toward accomplishing our
aggressive workplan and goals within the first half of 1997. We ue especially pleased with
the learning process thaY s been reflected in the creation of the departmental Service
Agreements. We are developing a much better appreciation for the dynamic, somewhat
fluid nature of the shifting departmental priorities and demands for IS support, and how this
affects our ability to keep this initiatives moving ahead. We are pleased at the level of
cooperation and support we have received from our customers - they are a demanding
group, by and large, but remain committed to working with us to achieve what we set out to
do with the IS reorganization. They are an important arbiter of our success and instrumental
• to helping us in our efforts to serve them better.
We hope that you will be satisfied with the results presented in this report, and will support
the accompanying resolution to release the second half of the 1997 TS budget from
contingency. If you have questions or comments, I would be more than happy to meet with
you to address them.
GOAL 1: Define the information services responsibilities of the new IS and
Departments and Offices.
SPECIFIC TASKS:
• Work with Departments and O�ces to create customized service agreements that define
IS expectations, the responsibilities of IS and the responsibilities of the
Department/Office
Martha Larson and Cindy Mullan have met individually with all departments' and offices'
management representatives. Final drafts of each agreement have been completed and
submitted back to our cusCOmers for their review and acceptance.. This exercise has been
productive and beneficial £or both IS and our customers, but has been more time-
consuming than originally anticipated. A particular benefit of these meetings has been
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that we have identified a number of staffing and other resource issues that have been ��� �
timely for inclusion in vazious 1998 budget discussions. Completion and acceptance of
Service Agreements is anticipated in June. A sample copy of the draft Service Agreement
form is attached for your review.
• • Establish IS priorities and detailed workplans based on the initiatives identifzed in the
199775 budget and the service agreements
The Service Agreement discussions and ongoing interaction with our customers have
helped us to identify potential projects and resource needs in the following areas: GIS, e-
mail policy, and use ofltechnical support for the Internet/Intranet. IS staff have begun
work on those issues, starting with definition of the City's strategy for GIS and the
Internet and issuance o£ an e mail policy. In addition, IS has worked with the Police
Department, Libraries, PED and the City Fleet Manager in addressing staffing issues and
creative efforts to redeploy existing staff to help further their specific technology projects.
• Maintain good customer relations and seekfeedback through a Department or Office
designated liaison
Martha and Cindy have conducted meetings every 4-6 weeks with designated department
line managers to explain the status of various IS projects as weil as solicit topics for
discussion at future meetings. Furthermore, the Service Agreement discussions have
taken place primazily with those line managers and have allowed IS to demonstrate how
its 1997 workplan activities affect each department and where they can participate in
helping to accomplish those Citywide IS objectives. Finally, a working group of DODs or
their designees has been convened to assist in the development and prioritization of
• projects to be addressed by the 1998 Technology Initiatives Fund. Their work will
significantly influence the 1998 budget to be submitted in June.
GOAL 2: Plan, develop and maintain a City-wide network that is accessible, secure,
effective and reliable.
SPECIFIC TASKS:
• Develop a network security policy for the City
Preliminary work has begun. A draft policy has been proposed, and IS staff are refining it
and developing an action plan for its implementation. When this is completed in August,
the policy will be communicated to the customer departments for feedback, to ensure their
support and that the proposed approach will work effectively with their networks and
department-specific applications.
• Acquire and implement a firewall that supports the City's security policy
Preliminary work has begun on the firewall, which is hardware and software designed to
protect the City's internal systems and data from unauthorized access by outsiders through
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linked networks and the Internet. Potential products have been researched and analyzed. ����
A draft strategy has been proposed, and IS staff are refining it and developing an action
plan for its implementation. This effort is being coordinated with the next objective
(strategy for providing remote access}. Implementation of the £rewall is anticipated for
• the fall of 1997.
• Develop a City-wide strategy for providing remote access capabilities to City Systems for
Czty staff
Preliminary work, including an inventory of current remote access points and methods is
complete. An assessment of appropriate technology and equipment to meet the City's
needs has been completed. A strategy for remote access is under development. Once this
plan and the firewall has been defined, IS will work with affected customer departments
to ensure that the new approach is properly implemented and that their end users aze
adequately prepared for changes in how they access City and outside systems. Installation
of remote access capabilities is anticipated for the fall of 1997.
GOAL 3: Establish the process and principles for providing professional technical
assistance to City IS customers that is efficient, timely and cost effective.
SPECIFIC TASKS:
• Assemble a group of core and departmental technical staff to develop a centralized
customer services strategy
. A cross-departmental group was formed under the leadership of Betty Swanson to
examine potential customer service needs and define the functional and technical
requirements. The goal of this group was to develop a recommendation on the best
approach for providing a centralized customer service approach.
• Evaluate and select an appropriate help desk solution, associated tools and staffing
This cross-departmental group's report and recommendation are in final draft form and
will be distributed Citywide by mid-June. The report includes a product recommendation
as well as an implementation plan. This solution will provide a central resource for
desktop support (PC installation and maintenance, connections, and a limited amount of
softwaze support for common applications like WordPerfect). In the past, this support
was provided by the former CIS division to certain departments and offices, while other
departments took care of their own needs individually. This led to diverse and
inconsistent levels of assistance across the City. We expect this resource to be used to
supplement those line departmenYs IS staff, minimizing time spent by experienced IS
staff dealing with lower level maintenance and troubleshooting and maximizing their time
available for the department-specific applications and consultative work.
• Define a strategy for assessing customer satisfaction; conduct a follow-up to the
customer service survey last conducted in July 1996
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IS staff is examining the feasibility of using the Intranet to conduct the follow-up survey.
Survey planned for distribution in July. (The City's new Intranet page, operational as of
the end of May, is available a[ http://theorb.)
� • Conduct a customer service training session for all employees in the IS division
An introductory workshop on "Respect in the Workplace" is scheduled for June. We
expect this to be the foundation for more in-depth training and development efforts which
will focus first on skills needed to serve customers as part of cooperative, multi-
disciplinary teams. Other training and development to enhance customer service-related
skills and abilities will also be identified through a department-wide analysis (planned for
the summer of 1997) of specific needs and opportunities.
GOAL 4: Develop a strategy to eliminate risk of losing critica] data and standardize
backup and recovery operations throughout the City
SPECIFIC TASKS:
• Inventory current backup services performed throughout the City
The central Novell and Public Works backup services have been reviewed and
standardized. This simplifies backup service and enables IS to further consolidate those
services for more efficient administration.
� • Assess the weaknesses and strengths of the current backup practices
We are examining ways to combine backup responsibilities on network segments. By
taking over common support functions, department service representatives will be able to
do more value-added work on their department-specific systems.
• Assemble a group of core and departmental technical staff to begin assessment of city-
wide disaster recovery plans and procedures
Through the process of completing the IS Service Agreements, we have identified
individuals responsible for Department disaster recovery plans. These staff will be
surveyed in late summer regarding current best practices in this area. IS expects to work
with the City's Emergency Management Team to coordinate development of this
component of the Citywide plan. Furthermore, IS warked with customer departments
during the preparations for the threatened AFSCME strike. This exercise allowed us to
identify a number of personnel, securlty and other issues, and potential solutions, that will
be addressed in the Citywide disaster recovery plan.
GOAL 5: Create a secure, stable and timely electronic mail environment
SPECIFIC TASKS:
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• Complete implementation of current GroupWzse project j 1(}� I� Q�
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GroupWise implementation was completed 4/27/97. All City departments and offices,
with the exception of Police, Fire, and Libraries, now have GroupWise installed and in
• use as their e mail systems. Use of this common application by most of the City staff
eases the administration and support for this system, which, along with our WordPerfect,
is the City's most commonly-used application and an important tool for employee
productivity.
• Assemble a group of core and departmental technicat staff to develop a strategy to assess
the strengths and limitations of the current system within the City
IS is planning to kick off this effort this summer. This evaluation will be led by a cross-
departmental group of technical staff, but will also incorporate a substantial amount of
input from non-technical e mail system users. This is critical because of the widespread
use and dependence on e mail by virtually all City users, and the integration and potential
of this essential function into the departments' daily operations. In particular, users vary
widely in their reliance on some of the additional features of GroupWise (calendars,
schedulers, routing, file transmission, etc.), so our longer-term strategy must address not
only e mail but this functionality as well.
• Establish and maintain an accurate, integrated address book
An integrated address book for all City departments and offices will be completed by the
end of June. Instructions for creating special personal address groups of mail recipients
outside the City were prepared and distributed to IS staff who support customer
• departments. However, the ability to do this more comprehensively and efficiently will
be a key criteria far evaluating the City's next e mail application.
• Provide ongoing electronic mail maintenance
This service is provided by IS Core staff, who support the GroupWise package. Fire,
Libraries and Public Works support their own individual e mail packages, but coordinate
with IS Core on the technical adjustments needed to ensure that e mail will be
senUreceived between those departments and GroupWise users.
GOAL 6: Develop a consistent approach for collecting, retrieving and maintaining
corporate data
SPECIFTC TASKS:
Conduct a pilot project which converts an existing application to a more accessible
format
As the Council is aware, the City needs to remove all applications from the Prime
computer, because this hazdware is obsolete and increasingly difficult to maintain. The
City's Fixed Asset Inventory system was selected for a pilot conversion project, due to the
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The City-wide inventory has been completed through information associated with the
1997 and 1998 PC replacement projects, and information gathered from the desktop
softwaze project. Maintaining a complete and accurate inventory of this technology base
is important to allow IS to provide appropriate support and to minimize the costs of
• licensing and other administration. This inventory also allows us to plan for network
changes and other infrastructure enhancements more effectively. ��'�(��
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• Gather information on software licenses Citywide and utilize volume purchasing where
possible.
Information gathezing has been completed for WordPerfect with anticipated
implementation by June 1997. Information gathering on Novell network operating system
has been completed, with anticipated implementation of Nove114.1 in IS, Fire, LIEP and
PED in 1997, using previously-budaeted funds. Remaining departments using Novell
will be upb aded in 1998. In addition, the City is implementing virus scanning software
(see following objectives) which has been licensed on a Citywide basis, at a savings over
our former department-by-depart
• Review options for desktop application software and establish a corporate preference.
The study has been completed and a corporate preference of Corel word processing
package (WordPerfect) has been established. City staff who work with common desktop
applications indicate that there aze lazge user bases only for word processing and e mail.
Therefore, in the short term, IS intends to define an application preference only for those
two uses. Other desktop applications, like spreadsheets (I,otus or Excel) or databases
(Paradox), do not yet have enough users to demand a preference to ensure compatibility,
• reduce support, or reduce licensing costs.
Initiate and complete the 1997 PC Replacement program.
The 1997 PC Replacement program was completed 5/20/97, and planning for the 1998
Replacement program has also been completed. This planning included communication
to departments and offices from IS about the numbers of machines and per-machine
contributions that are anticipated for 1998. However, as the mazket continues to
fluctuate, the actual costs of the machines acquired for 1998 installation may change,
which could affect the overall numbers of machines the City buys and/or the contribution
for each. We will keep the departments apprised as we get closer to acquisition and
lnstallation of the 1998 PCs.
• Install and use virus scanning sofiware at the desktop and server.
Virus scanning software has been acquired and is being distributed, and virus signature
update files are being distributed periodically. All desktops and servers are expected to
have this software and update files by July. This tool reduces the risk of losing data or
damaging software and hazdware. Previously, there were no virus scanning packages in
use consistently across the City to miugate this risk.
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• • • Develop a procedure to ensure that virus update files are installed at the server and client
on al1 of the City's networks. �IV' `�(��
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This procedure has been developed. New viruses are constantly being introduced and
• keeping cunent is extremely time consuming. This new procedure automates the update
process and significantly reduces the time that technical staff spend to make sure that each
desktop machine is adequately protected.
GOAL 8: Lay the foundation for a positive, professional work environment in which
technical employees feel supported, respected, challenged and enthusiastic about their
job
SPECIfTC TASKS:
• Establish the processes for communicating with staff on a regular basis to support
workload management and ensure open dialog between managers and staff
The following communication mechanisms have been put in place, and IS management
continues to be open to new ideas about expanding and 'amproving the flow of information
within I3:
• An IS web page was established in March with bulletin board, discussion forums,
training news and project updates
• Monthly staff ineetings for personnel responsible for the Citywide technology
infrastructure (commonly referred to as IS Core) have been established
• Meetings for all TS staff are conducted every 4 to 6 weeks
• • IS management meets individually with IS technical leads assigned to the
departrnents every 4 to 6 weeks
Develop a perfonnance evaluatzon process that supports the professional and technical
development of staff
A new performance evaluation form for IS staff has been designed, reviewed with
technical staff and department line managers, and is now in use.
• Establish a formal training plan for each technical employee that enables them to
accomplish their current job responsibilities as well as enhance their professional career
growth
Technical staff training plans have been included in the individual Service Agreements.
Also, as part of the Department of Technology and Management Services' 1997 Strategic
Objectives, non-technical training needs for all divisions, including IS, will be assessed.
A tailored approach for each division will be developed from that assessment, with the
goal being to design training and development activities that enhance the divisions'
customer service skills and abilities to add value to customer operations. For IS, this
training approach will start with a workshop on Respect in the Workplace in June 1997,
with an expected follow up session focusing on team-building.
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