State IT Projects

WaTech provides oversight, consultation and project management support for statewide information technology projects. RCW 43.105.245 requires WaTech to establish a model process for agencies to develop and implement projects as well as provide oversight and gives WaTech broad authority on projects.

IT Project Oversight helps state agency technology projects maintain alignment with business goals and priorities, achieve success, and deliver planned outcomes. Oversight Consultants engage as partners, advise project leadership, provide transparency to the public and the authorizing environment, facilitate strong fiscal stewardship, and help projects complete within the approved scope, schedule and budget. Oversight is also responsible for assessing the project's ongoing health and has authority to terminate or suspend projects that consistently fail to meet minimum performance standards.

WaTech is legislatively mandated to:

• Establish policies and procedures that govern the planning, implementation and evaluation of major IT projects.
• Establish the criteria to identify what constitutes a "major" project.
• Establish a model process and procedures that agencies follow to develop and implement projects within their IT portfolios.

The project lifecycle for WaTech approval and oversight of major IT investments encompasses four phases:

1. Decision Package Review

Review of projects at the conceptual stage and submission of the budget request through the Decision Package process.

Formal IT expenditure prioritization occurs on an annual basis as part of the state's budget-building activity. The governor and the legislature look to WaTech to provide guidance on whether an agency's proposed IT expenditure is sound and consistent with the state's IT strategy to inform policy decisions on the allocation of limited state funds.

WaTech establishes prioritization criteria in response to current state business needs and changing technologies. WaTech evaluates agency funding requests (received in the form of decision packages) against those values and establishes a priority ranking of all funding requests. The resulting prioritized list of project funding requests is submitted to both the governor's office and the Legislature.

2. Secure Project Funding

Identify and promote high value technology projects and prioritize project funding requests.

3. Project approval

Evaluate and approve planned investments.

4. Implement project

Monitor in-flight IT projects through to completion.