Reviewing Agency Capacity

The agency’s existing technology infrastructure and usage should be evaluated before new plans are developed. Here the focus is matching current efficiency and effectiveness with identified needs and priorities. It is key to:

• Determine to what extent the existing system meets identified service needs, addresses the concerns of policymakers and meets legal mandates.
• Define what the agency needs to improve outcomes and what resources can be allocated to meet those needs.

This requires an internal inventory of how technology is used, what the future needs are and what the staff readiness is to support innovation and implement change. Fiscal constraints also should be taken into account through a cost-benefit analysis. When making procurement and deployment decisions, the agency should also determine the importance it places on applying technology to the following functions:

• Fiscal accountability, which includes buying versus leasing
• Improving the capacity of staff to provide services
• Improving communication
• Increasing safety
• Facilitating professional development

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