How did each of you approach the testing process? Was our time estimate accurate?

Probes: Did you do it all at once, spread over several sessions, etc. Did you work at the office or at home? Did you bring in anyone else in your office to work with you?

Main Prototype question:
Did your organization have the necessary hardware, software, and Internet access to fully participate in the Prototype test? Do you have a computer connected to the Internet in your own workspace Internet?

Probes: Did people work from home because office technology was inadequate in some way? Is their technology too old to work well in a Web environment? Ask for specific examples.

Main question about the future:
If a fully developed G2G portal were built, does your organization have the hardware, software and Internet access necessary for all relevant employees to use it?

Probes:If no, what kind and how much new technology would be needed? Ask for specific examples.

Main future development question:
To what extent are the technological aspects of a fully developed G2G portal already in place in New York State and local government (e.g. architecture, standards, infrastructure)? What elements are strong, weak, missing?

Which technology elements or key functions should be standardized and which could be flexible?

Probes: Haves and have nots, large vs. small organizations, agency-based vs. statewide IT strategies and architectures, state-level strategies vs. local-level strategies.

Main Prototype question:
Do you feel you and the others in your organization who tested the Prototype had the right skills for working with people, organizations, and computers to use it effectively? What are the most important skills for working in this way?

Probes:By skills, I mean not just technology skills, but also management, communication, knowledge about service programs and how they work, etc. What skills were missing, if any? How did you compensate for them? Ask for specific examples.

Main questions about the future:
If all G2G work moved to this kind of portal environment, what kind of skills and how much training would the people in your organization need to use it effectively? How long do you think it would take to train everyone fully? What kind of user support would be needed for the short and long term?

Probes: What would stop people from using it? Are there people who just won't be able to work in this way, no matter what?

Main future development question:
What skills will be needed by state and local personnel who would design, develop and manage a future G2G portal and its applications?

Probes: Which skills are most important? To what extent do you think these skills are already well developed? Ask for specifics (e.g., analytical, technical, communication, negotiation, project management, etc.).

Main Prototype question:
What data issues did you encounter when you tested the Prototype?

Probes: accuracy, timelines, compatibility across different applications, standard definitions and codes (metadata), data ownership, data sharing with other state and local organizations. Are these problems with other people's data or your data? Ask for specific examples.

Main questions about the future:
How severe do you think these problems would be in a fully developed G2G portal? What could be done to overcome them? Would any particular data issues affect your willingness or ability to use a fully developed G2G portal?

Probes: Ask for examples

Main future development question:
Data quality was a significant challenge in the Prototype development process. What approaches would you recommend to improve data quality in future development?

Probes: Up front data cleansing activities, improve data as part of updates and maintenance, review and re-enter existing data, etc.

Did you encounter information or technology policy issues?

Probes: Confidentiality, security, accountability (e.g. audit trail, records management), internal organizational policies, government wide technical standards, data sharing across multiple state and local organizations. Ask for specific examples.

Main questions about the future:
What policies might need to be developed or changed to support a fully developed G2G portal? Would state or local laws need to change? Standards are policies - what aspects of a G2G portal or application should be standardized and what parts should be left optional?

Probes: Same

Main future development question:
What policies (in the Big P and small p sense) should govern the design, development, and operation of any future G2G portal? How should new or revised policies be developed?

Probes: Who should be involved, how should they be selected, what weight should be given to the various players, how should information be gathered, what decision making process makes sense. Should policies be developed incrementally or should a comprehensive set be created at one time?

Main Prototype question:
What were the main costs for you to participate in testing the Prototype?

Probes: Time, travel, organizational disruption. Did you have to buy any new equipment or software to participate in the Prototype? Internet access? If yes to any of these or others, ask for specific examples.

Main questions about the future:
If New York had a fully developed G2G portal for all state-local applications, would your organization be able to adapt to it within your existing budgets? If no, what would the expenses be?

Probes:Ask for specifics (not just "new technology" but what kind, for whom, etc).

Main future development question:
If New York initiated a fully developed G2G portal for all state-local applications, how might the development, infrastructure, training, and support be financed? What financing barriers would have to be removed?

Probes: Funding stovepipes; capital spending; long-term vs year by year, etc.

Main Prototype questions:
There is an explicit strategy behind this project -- to test a new (and we hope, better) way of working across the levels of government. Did your experience bear this out -- was it different? Was it better? In what ways? Do you feel the parts of the Prototype you used were designed by people who understand your business and business practices? Did you feel communication about the project and your part in it was effective? Was it clear, well timed, responsive to your needs?

Probes: Ask for specific examples.

Main questions about the future:
Can you imagine a fully developed system like this meshing well with your usual way of working? Or would you have to make a lot changes or workarounds? (NOTE: A fully developed system would have all the functions and systems you need to do your job available any time you sign in to a single computer, and information would be shared across all organizations who need it.) What would be the strategic benefits to your organization of working in this way for all G2G systems? What would be the negative impacts on your organization?

Probes:What could be done that can't be done at all today? What efficiencies would be possible? What would you not be able to do that you can do today? What additional work or complexity would be added? Ask for specific examples.

Main future development question:
Now that you've seen the Prototype in action and been part of its development, what would you change about the overall approach that would make it more strategically valuable to state and local governments? What would you keep the same?

Probes: How can myriad local players be represented? How can multiple state agencies be coordinated?

What is the most important lesson state and local officials should take away from this experience?

Is there anything you want to say about this experience or about a possible future that we have not asked about?