DOIT could use follow-up with HR to align our processes and guidance at onboarding and offboarding of staff to ensure computing device requirements are met. For example, Jim M. found the current DEP-056 spreadsheet

Mike Moticha’s policy draft as of 5/23/24

Thanks for summarizing. I guess everyone will see these if they log into the tracker…any idea if they all were notified or do I need to email the group.

Meeting today with Pete, Kurt, Trish, Jim M. -

identified some follow=ups:

1. Trish - re-review the draft policies

   1. Need to account for Jason’s concern- how to track machines or credits when pulling back a machine with warranty life.

2. Jim M - set up another meeting with M&B to cover finance questions from roll-out meeting

   1. Need to adjust tracking to account for machines purchased with grants and not violate the use of them under grant guidance

3. (Kurt & Wen?)- Consider future of Avanti heat (Neurons? what is current contract and scope of service vs. upgrade cost). Move to cloud subscriptions?

4. Kurt - Near term - set meeting with Mike Moticha and Mike Matsko to facilitate reports that can be published for program transparency and support keeping inventory up to date.

5. Stacy - confirm inventories with programs

Pete also raised the question of the middle option for a laptop std. With 4G video card, but cheaper than the heavy GIS machine. Kurt to acquire 5500 w NVIDA card to test against GIS (perhaps $1,900 vs $3,800 GIS). Continue with 5 yr. warranty for easy comparison. Evaluate 3yr going forward. Noted quote problems with Dell that complicate these efforts. Pete to engage higher level (Stefanie) if not resolved in 1-2 months.

Draft work plan for CGI to do facilitated requirements gathering sessions and recommendations analysis received on 1/8/2024. Under review prior to finalizing. Key dates in work plan:

• 1/16/2024 - Requirement Gathering Session with M&B

• 1/23/2024 - Requirement Gathering Session with DOIT

• 2/27/2024 - Process Design Review Session with M&B, DOIT, Stakeholders

Reached out to Nikhil (CGI) regarding a facilitator, he said:

We have been reviewing the documents you sent across and this should be something we should be able to address through a work plan and CGI has the required skill to run these sessions and document the outcomes and work flows accordingly. We will do a more deeper dive on this work and will come up with a high level proposal for you review and potentially to include a work plan accordingly.

Jim B is looped in as the $ for this will come out of the CGI contract. 

I reached out to a few exec. Branch CIOs.  Responses as follows:

NJOAG:

Fred Gmitter manages this for LPS.  We made the change to bulk purchasing about 10 years ago and worked out a chargeback to divisions.  It was a big culture change at the time.  The goal is to buy with 5 year warranty and refresh 1/5 of inventory each year bringing the task to a manageable level.  There are exceptions throughout the year,  but we are off the crazy train.  If someone needs something like a gaming laptop, we instead order some high-end workstations with graphics cards and have users RDP into them from their standard laptop(we tried virtual first but the use-cases needed the video memory).  They also have memory on hand for the laptops to increase when needed.

NJ Agriculture:

Hi Pete, absolutely no judgements,  AG business units were adamant about ordering their equipment which Ultimately my office had to support. After years of this mess, I finally garnered support from our Commissioner to request funds from OMB for IT equipment replacement.  We now replace all of Agricultures devices on a scheduled cycle( warranty expiration) and we have an equipment catalog from which our Business unit will select the device they want. IT office will purchase the device. Business is happy as their funds that were used previously for equipment is released for other needs.

We also have a display of devices and peripherals (test drive opportunity) once every 2 years where our division power users take each device for a spin. They vote on the device of choice. Max votes makes it to our device catalog.

Hope this helps.  If you want to speak to the manager in charge of this effort, let me know.

NJDCA:

At DCA everything goes through IT and we have standard equipment, and any needed variants are reviewed and go through us as well. 

NJDOT:

I spoke to the CIO over the phone.  DOT IT orders all devices.  They order about 500 devices every 6 months.  The appropriate contact person is Steve Prichard.  I spoke to Steve several times in the past about phones and other things. He’s very good and detailed.  I think Jeff Martin speaks to him on security things as well.  DOT is also similar size to DEP…..~3200 FTE’s.

Team kick-off meeting with Pete, Kurt, Knute. Jim M. Lenora, Mike Moticha and Stacy:

Stacy: Emergency management is already behind on budgeting for current replacements- how do we handle this situation as we bring in other programs. Is this unique to Mitzi/EM? Regardless, these and other issues are worth sharing regularly as this project develops (Similar to Pete’s Announcement at Core Team - attached here as PPT).

Deliverables discussed-

Policy & Procedure to cover:

• new staff machine deployments

• Standards for all equipment considered standard (machines, docks, montiors - how many etc.) and how to go beyond the standards.

• Policy on at home equipment use, tracking, deployment and replacement.

Up front input:

• Other agencies (Pete to get names for contact)

• our own data - what does it show? What is missing?

• Customers - especially SRP and Water who have inventory tracking systems'

• Management and Budget on payment end

Pete shared how Dell is able to provide inventory downloads that may be usable in our efforts.

Knute is project managing a related project on SimpliGov IT procurement which has to stay in touch with project. There are 2 non_IT projects also related : Naming Purchasing leads and Training purchasing leads

Meeting with Joe Eaker- Identified need for this project needs eliminate existing duplication between General Services and HEAT inventory. One inventory system should be accessible to key people in programs and General services.

Also Purchases need to be accounted for in cost accounting. SRP has home built C+ system for accounting of non-IT equipment. Ken Lao is key for SRP.

Pete learned from DOT CIO that they are pursuing Service Now for both purchasing and inventory, at approx. $500k to configure.

Kurt working with Lenora to confirm a lead that we may coach directly or through CGI paid oversight.

Steve Pritchard is lead on DOTs management of machine procurement.

How to manage decisions on standard, how far to go off spec? This is to be informed through some of the information gathering noted previously (data on current inventory, inquiry with other agencies). This may also be compiled from a series of inquiry from

Example from Pete about screen size showed that this project will need to tackle a current lack of policies for other non-obvious things such as the need for a monitor policy to cover office and home allocation. This is exacerbated by the laptop first policy (also still unwritten).

There has to be clarity that the project includes the development of the missing policies that fit and make the most sense for the desired goals and reality of the current conditions and needs.

Once a leader is named, we need a project kick-off meeting that includes this group and the project participants to set the outline of the project and scope out the schedule with leadership sign off and support.

Timing?

Need to allow room for imperfection and staged solutions in order to have some key pieces in place for a period of new orders from DOIT starting with this budget year - with centrally placed orders with a confidence in the inventory to meet needs and workable process for deviations and renewal going forward. Must be stocked July 1, 2024, requiring clear policies and confirmed/checked orders by perhaps April 1.

Will need to begin messaging the changes and their implications for budget decisions at least 6 months ahead or Jan 1.

Kurt- there is potential to stage this - although 4800 programs are already something of a pilot.

Goals (Maybe objectives):

• Just in time or limited inventory (total number? 20-30?)

• Maximizing warranties - (not replacing much ahead thanks to sufficient inventory on hand in emergencies) (current average?)

• We could focus on how well 4800 effort is performing to set project objectives for overall new system performance.

Initial meeting: Pete, Kurt, Jim M. and Knute.

Goals:

A. Cut down work hours related to current 50-60 purchase orders per year

B. Increase numbers of standard machines to save costs on support and maint. and to spare costs per machine for over-done specs in requests. (look to measure $$ now). Also seek savings in warranties (need new analysis)

C. Gain leverage for possible savings with suppliers

E. Provide timely replacement for outdated and failed machines. (do we have current stats on this?)

First need: Project manager- who will capture, measure to establish and get confirmation of written goal.

Refine the scope from approved goals and research and make a plan and schedule that gets sign-off.

1. Preliminary steps are for data - What machines do we have now?

Numbers and variety by program (6 basic types),

Machine age distribution

Costs vs. use of warranties?

2. Research what exists

a. talk to programs with their own tracking systems now- SRP, Water

b. research how other agencies are doing this and re-set policies

use data and advice from others to propose purchase size, types and frequency.

propose rules and handling of non-standard machines. What are the exception rules for going up the scale of 3 laptops or 3 PCs. How much does the process require a person or program to justify new or existing machines beyond basic? This requires a strong, effective role, and planned time/effort to evaluate the current allocations.

Propose a program charge-back scheme and REVIEW WITH BUDGET before going too far. It needs to be simple enough for DOIT to manage and track (including the justification process).

Clarify use of multiple monitors. Include monitors in analysis and initial inventory.

4. Need to message to managers the shift from individual procurement, to providing computing hardware (refurbished or not). (NOT strictly centralized procurement)

Consider rules on handling fixes vs. getting some specific machine back. how to track swaps, re-distribution.

Need to accommodate the shift to laptop first /laptop only.