At DSHS, our House of Health and Human Services priorities are the driving force behind our agency’s Strategic Plan goals. Each administration contributes to shaping our DSHS Strategic Plan.
Pioneering Digital Solutions
This page showcases Information Technology's specific goals, along with action plans and success measures. From technology-enabled service delivery to providing digitally native care, the future of technology innovation for simplifying access to benefits and services in Washington state is bright.
Jump to other parts of the DSHS Strategic Plan: ALTSA | BHA | DDA | DVR | ESA | FFA | OS
IT/TIA Strategic Goals
In the strategic planning process, we identify three key components.
- The Strategic Goals: Sets the goal that we are striving to achieve.
- The Action Plan: Our action strategies to get there.
- The Success Measure: The outcome to achieve a goal.
Read in detail below about IT/TIA’s strategic goals Take a look at IT/TIA’s Strategic Plan Metrics here.
Strategic plan index: Jump to a section of the plan by clicking the Strategic Goal (SG)
- Innovative Enterprise Architecture (EA).
- Advance comprehensive structural and behavioral transformation to become a proactive-equity and anti-racist agency.
- Customer-centric Services.
- Managed Investments.
- IT Security and Risk Management.
Strategic Goal #1: Innovative Enterprise Architecture (EA)
Mature an effective One DSHS IT Enterprise Architecture program enabling innovation and IT modernization driven by business needs through the development of foundational enterprise-level services: structured business strategy, facilitated innovation, planned and managed IT Portfolio, enabled solutions delivery, established critical frameworks and tools, and managed data and architecture.
The Action Plan:
- Stand up and continually improve an expert level, agile Enterprise Architecture (EA) program responsive to business needs, based on four platforms of EA: Business Architecture, Data Architecture, Technology Architecture, and Applications Architecture.
- Develop, continually improve, and communicate business outcome-driven processes and guidance.
- Establish, maintain, and mature architecture governance enabling effective IT processes and standards while mitigating risks and ensuring the human-centered design standards are followed.
- Using Enterprise Architecture (EA) principles and frameworks, define and produce integration strategy and maintain technology services.
- Create and maintain an active, modern innovation program for maintaining IT infrastructure while identifying and allocating for change opportunities.
Success Measure:
1.1: Deliver agency Enterprise Architecture framework aligning business, cloud, AI, innovation, security and governance by 6/30/2025.
1.2: Apply EA principles to framework and implement integration strategy by 6/30/2026.
1.3: Create human-centered enterprise DSHS IT intake process by 12/31/2024.
1.4: Create an operational enterprise-wide innovation hub by 12/31/2025.
Strategic Goal #2: Advance comprehensive structural and behavioral transformation to become a proactive-equity and anti-racist agency.
The Action Plan:
- Build a more human-centered work environment within Technology Innovation Administration (TIA), promoting an equitable, positive workplace culture where everyone is enabled to bring their authentic selves to work and experience an enhanced sense of belonging in TIA.
- Increase staff diversity through innovative and inclusive recruitment and retention practices that attract, retain, upskill, and reskill a diverse workforce.
- Make Digital Equity the foundational requirement of all technology services used or provided by DSHS, helping create equitable access for those using DSHS IT.
- Demonstrate actionable commitment to equity by providing continuing education and resources to support EDAI and Belonging competency and organizational performance for DSHS IT.
- Increase business and economic opportunities for diverse suppliers and contractors by using inclusive purchasing and contracting practices for DSHS IT and TIA administrative goods and services, in alignment with state requirements.
Success Measure:
2.1: Raise awareness and promote a positive work culture and sense of belonging by requiring at least 80% of TIA staff complete three state-sponsored equity, diversity, access, and inclusion trainings by the end of 2025.
2.2: Adopt inclusive hiring practices to promote a diverse workforce by requiring all TIA supervisors to complete unconscious/implicit bias training by the end of 2025.
2.3: Increase the percentage of new, qualified DSHS-owned IT contracts/purchases with OMWBE firms by at least 10% each year starting 7/1/2025 and assessing all current IT contracts/purchases upon renewal for the potential to increase supplier diversity.
Strategic Goal #3: Customer-centric Services
Develop IT efficiency and delivery of approachable, customer-focused services and solutions through partnership, feedback, change management, and continual improvement practices.
The Action Plan:
- Empower a One DSHS, enterprise-lens, human-centered design IT culture based in best practices and equitable access.
- Implement IT efficiency optimizations in alignment with Health and Human Services (HHS) Coalition objectives and key DSHS projects.
- Mature enterprise IT service utilization and creation of enterprise solutions and services.
- Ensure customer satisfaction.
- Increase employee recognition, training, and improve employee engagement.
Success Measure:
3.1: Implement a semi-annual CSAT (customer satisfaction) measuring system by 12/31/2024 and achieve 85% CSAT score by 12/31/2027.
3.2: Implement an accessible enterprise approach to meet technology needs across the agency and those TIA serves by 12/31/2025, and mature and streamline that approach through 12/31/2027.
3.3: Create a central location for an accessible training material library of available enterprise technology solutions including self-service knowledge base for all DSHS staff by 12/31/2024.
Strategic Goal #4: Managed Investments
Mature a unified and robust IT Governance, Policy, and Standards aligned with applicable requirements, supporting informed IT investment capacities and capabilities.
The Action Plan:
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive IT prioritization strategy optimizing IT investments using an enterprise perspective.
- Create and maintain an Enterprise IT Budget.
- Allocate funding for IT innovation, Enterprise Architecture (EA), and Research & Development (R&D).
- Allocate funding for IT Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and to modernize legacy systems.
Success Measure:
4.1: Consult with all DSHS administrations to identify current opportunities with IT investment capacities and capabilities by 12/31/2024.
4.2: Inventory all DSHS IT investments (as defined by RCW 43.105.020(9)) in the Enterprise DSHS IT Portfolio by 6/30/2025.
4.3: Prioritize all DSHS IT investments in the Enterprise DSHS IT Portfolio to inform agency IT decision-making and resource allocation by 6/30/2027.
Strategic Goal #5: IT Security and Risk Management
Mature a unified and robust IT Security aligned with applicable requirements and managed risk, inclusive of Technology Innovation Administration (TIA) and DSHS IT emergency and disaster management.
The Action Plan:
- Mature DSHS cybersecurity to remain aligned with technology, state, federal, and other regulatory compliance requirements.
- Mature an enterprise-wide Technology Innovation Administration and DSHS IT Emergency and Disaster Recovery Program to manage any form of emergent event.
Success Measure:
5.1: Annual IT Security training completed by 100% of DSHS staff each year and demonstrated adherence through fewer technology incidents year over year.
5.2: TIA approval of all administrations' disaster recovery plans completed for ensuring information technology-based and mission-critical assets improvements identified are implemented by 6/30/2026, improving IT resilience and management of emergent events.
5.3: TIA, as a new administration, will establish an inaugural emergency and disaster recovery plan by 12/31/2024.