The Challenge

The Draper Approach

Results Realized

The Challenge

Draper & Associates provided Program Management services to the Alabama Department of Public Health's Bureau of Information Services as part of its Year 2000 Remediation Initiative. The Bureau of Information Services is responsible for all information technology systems and solutions required to support the Department of Public Health's extensive IS interfaces with state and national entities. Draper & Associates was asked to (1) review the status of the Bureau's current remediation plan, (2) develop a detailed plan for accomplishing all tasks within the state mandated timeframe, and (3) identify proper resource allocation to execute these tasks.

The Draper Approach

The Draper project engineer began by conducting extensive data collection and project status interviews with the individual project points of contact. Once initial data collection and analysis had been completed, the Draper project engineer began reconciling the bureau's current plan with the seven-phase plan required by the state oversight agency. The Draper project engineer then revisited the individual project points of contact to develop a detailed overall project plan that would reconcile any differences between the two plans. Additionally, the second iteration of interviews served as a time that resources could be more clearly identified. The total of these interviews and data collections sessions resulted in a detailed overall project plan which clearly outlines the steps necessary to achieve required goals and objectives for the 15 individual programs within the state's 7 phases.

Results Realized

This program management tool served two purposes: (1) provide real time project status and (2) serves as a tool for providing project information to the state oversight agency. Additionally, the overall project schedule allows the senior management to quickly assess project shortfalls and completed activities.

As a follow-on requirement, Draper & Associates was asked to develop Year 2000 contingency plans for the entire Department of Public Health. Draper staff reviewed current operating procedures and developing maximum impact scenarios. These scenarios were then used as the basis for development of Y2K contingency plans.