Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) Plan

• What is the role of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of the Chief Information Officer for the province?
• Why did the OCIO develop an strategic IM/IT Plan for the province?
• What are the Core Elements of the OCIO’s IM/IT Plan for the Province of B.C.?
• What do the Work Streams for the IM/IT plan include?

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the government’s chief technology strategist, providing executive leadership for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). In the spring of 2006 Cabinet gave the CIO a clear mandate, which is articulated in section 12 of the government’s Core Policy and Procedures Manual. This mandate tasks the OCIO with responsibility for the corporate management of information and information technology.

As the central authority for IM/IT the OCIO develops, proposes, maintains and evaluates compliance for corporate-wide IM/IT policy, procedures and standards. In addition the Office of the Chief Information Officer:

• collaborates with ministries, broader public sector organizations and private sector suppliers to develop Information Management (IM) and Information Technology (IT) strategies, policies and standards;
• identifies key opportunities and proactively promotes cross-government initiatives that transform government’s ability to serve the public; and
• promotes and guides government’s management of information as a strategic business asset and to enable information use and sharing in a privacy protecting and secure environment.

The OCIO has developed a strategic IM/IT plan for the province to support government’s goals and to improve information sharing to better achieve citizen outcomes. In addition, the Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services has been mandated to transform both service delivery and the information management and information technology infrastructure to enable it. These goals are far reaching and comprehensive. Truly citizen-centred services are achieved when government collaborates across organizational boundaries to harness advancements in technology and share information through connected people and connected systems.

The IM/IT plan is about connecting systems, connecting people, identifying evidence-based outcomes and making sound investment decisions, all supported by a next generation information structure. The strategic outcomes of the plan and the enabling work streams are described below. An executive summary of the plan will be posted to this website in the coming months.

The IM/IT plan is a strategic enterprise approach with the following desired outcomes which support government’s goal of improved outcomes for British Columbians. The three desired outcomes of the plan are:

• Value for Money
• Information Sharing
• Service Transformation

There are five identified work streams for the implementation of the IM/IT plan, which include:

• Maximizing IM/IT Investment Benefits
• Connected Systems
• Connected People
• Informed Decision Making
• Partner Engagement