Generally, there are two main functions performed by the state-level IT office: (1) policy and planning and (2) provision of IT services. In our review, the majority of state-level IT offices, regardless of centralized or federated structure, performed both functions. From the state profiles, only two states, California and Florida, had established separate offices for those functions; when reviewing the additional states included in the interviews, Oregon was the only state that also separated these two functions. In those three states, the State CIO was in charge of policy and planning only and this function was completed in cooperation with agency-level CIOs and IT offices, which also provide their own policy, planning, and IT infrastructure. As of this publication, both California and Florida have made changes to consolidate these two functions into a single state-level IT office led by the State CIO.

The functions performed by the state-level and agency-level IT offices vary. In our review, we concentrated on the state-level IT offices. Those fulfilling the policy and planning functions ranged in scope to include preparing state IT strategic plans, focusing on process improvement and consolidation, or setting enterprise architecture and security standards or statewide IT procurement guidelines. Many of the states create strategic plans that are updated annually. In Kansas, however, the state-level IT office works on a state-level strategic plan that provides a long-term directive (five-year span) for the state as a whole. This long-term directive in turn informs agencies’ three-year IT plans, which are updated annually. From these plans, agencies create individual project plans that are submitted for budget consideration, which feed back into the state strategic IT plan. Similarly, Virginia creates its strategic plan to cover a four-year timeframe.

In contrast, the two states with centralized IT governance have a very different strategic planning and budgeting process in which all IT planning, IT operations and IT policy creation is subsumed under the state-level IT office. The state-level IT offices solicit agency feedback about their IT needs as they pertain to agency-specific business goals. Essentially, the state IT strategic plan encompasses IT goals for the entire state.

Similarly, the services provided by state-level IT offices vary in scope. Most state-level IT offices are generally responsible for areas such as service management, technical services, infrastructure and operations, shared services, program management, applications development, or systems development. Georgia and Virginia are two states that use public-private partnerships to deliver IT infrastructure services to state agencies.

Finally, many state-level IT offices have created units or departments for enterprise-wide functions. The most common entities are enterprise project management units or enterprise infrastructure units whose goal is to promote state-wide uniform project management practices or provide a common state-wide infrastructure to all state agencies.

Table 2. Federated Approaches*
State	State level CIO	IT Offices	Coordination Mechanisms
CA	One State CIO in charge of stand-alone office in charge of the policy function State CIO Cabinet level	State-level policy and planning are provided by the Office of the CIO State-level IT services are provided by the State and Customer Service Agency, which is governed by the Technology Services Board Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Enterprise Leadership Council Information Technology Council Board of High Profile Projects Technology Service Board
FL	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is part of the Executive Office of the Governor Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	CIO Council Technology Review Workgroup
GA	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office State CIO is appointed and removed by the GTA Board of Directors	State-level IT office is a stand alone office, but is governed by the GTA Board of Directors Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	GTA Board of Directors Technology Empowerment Fund Steering Committee Critical Projects Review Panel PeopleSoft Program Governance Council CIO Council
KS	Multiple state-level CIO Positions Executive Chief IT Officer Legislative Chief IT Officer Judicial Chief IT Officer Chief IT Architect	State-level IT office is part of Department of Administration and supports the executive, legislative, and judicial Chief IT Officers and the Chief IT Architect Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Information Technology Advisory Board IT Architecture Review Board IT Executive Council GIS Board Information Network of Kansas Board Joint Legislative Committee on Technology
KY	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is part of Department of Finance and Administration Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Commonwealth Technology Council Enterprise Architecture and Standards Committee Information Technology Advisory Council Geospatial Board Wireless Interoperability Executive Committee
MN	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office State CIO Cabinet level	State-level IT office is a stand alone office Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Technology Business Advisory Council Commissioner’s Technology Advisory Board Agency CIO Advisory Council Information Security Council
NC	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is a stand alone office Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	IT Advisory Board Technical and Systems Support Groups
NY	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is stand alone Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Agency CIO Council Economic Security and Human Services Advisory Board (CoP) Integrated Justice Advisory Board Financial Management System
PA	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is part of Office of Administration Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Enterprise IT Governance Board Public Safety; Health & Human Services Environmental (CoPs) Enterprise IT Governance Committee
TX	One State CTO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is a stand alone office and is governed by the DIR Board of Directors Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	DIR Board of Directors Texas Building and Procurement Commission Contract Advisory Team Telecommunications Planning and Oversight Council Quality Assurance Team
VA	One State CIO in charge of state-level IT office	State-level IT office is stand alone office Agencies maintain IT offices with agency CIOs	Center for Innovative Technology Information Technology Investment Board Council on Technology Services
*State data is based on the governance frameworks in operation as of January 2009.