Workforce & People

From Scratch: 5 CIOs on How They’d Build an IT Agency from the Ground Up

If you could build a brand-new government IT shop, how would you do it? From funding and staffing to governance and automation, leading CIOs talked about how they would approach the challenge.

September 2021 •

compass and papers on an architect's desk

Suppose you had a clean slate to work with. How would government IT look different? How could it be improved upon? We asked state and local government technology leaders just that question.

It’s more than just a thought exercise. Their clean-slate wish lists help to paint a picture of what might be possible. From governance structures to funding mechanisms to hiring schemes, they describe a range of creative changes that could help to put IT on a stronger footing going forward. Here's what they said:

Tarek Tomes: Flexible Funding, Strong Partnerships Key to Ideal IT Shop

Shannon Lawson: Driving Better Gov Tech Through Governance, Centralization

Teri Takai: Careful Staffing Can Bring Fresh Perspectives to Gov Tech

Todd Shanley: Strong Project, Change Management Are Essential to Good IT

Tom Lynch: Data Governance, Business Analytics Drive Smart IT Decisions