During his time at the Mount Rushmore State, Clines focused on operational excellence, updating core processes, procedures, systems and networks; and BIT saw operational improvement in several areas.
The state is now underway on modernizing an outdated financial system. Clines said officials had written a memo to the governor in 1996, urging implementation of a new financial system. That system is still in use, but the modernization has begun and is expected to go live in another two years. According to Clines, he pushed hard to get funding for the initiative, known as Project BISON. “This is not a technology upgrade; this is a business transformation,” he said.
Another major project that was a key accomplishment for Clines was the South Dakota Citizen Portal, which demonstrated his commitment, and that of other state leaders, to improving the citizen experience. The platform offers residents a central place to access 150-plus state services, with more continually being added.
Clines also highlighted South Dakota’s position as an early adopter of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, with “Fez,” which was trained solely on state information to respond to citizen questions. The use of AI-powered chatbots is now a trend among government entities.
Cybersecurity was another priority for the CIO. The state’s size presented limitations in staffing, but Clines is proud to have been able to add to the cyber team over the last several years, with the governor’s support.
South Dakota now has a governance, risk and compliance team, too, to more proactively find and mitigate risks. This, Clines noted, is especially impactful as the state expands into the work of addressing vendor risk and cloud security.
“For me, it comes down to the trust of the citizens,” Clines said. “We’re entrusted to protect the information that they give us, and we need to honor that trust; investing in good cyber defense is paramount to that.”
Another substantial project Clines undertook relates to the statewide first responder network that BIT manages; it was upgraded to the latest standard, in a three-year project completed last year. The transition from legacy technology to a P25 standard ensures reliable network access for first responders.
These major projects required significant change management, Clines said, but a big part of the success of systemic change in South Dakota was the commitment to communicating with the team why the changes were being made and how they would help officials more efficiently serve constituents.
Clines emphasized the value of the team at South Dakota, and said he has realized investing time and effort in relationships and support for them helps members do better. This, he said, is an approach he’ll take with him to Wyoming.
The incoming CIO said he will likely take a similar approach to IT work in Wyoming, prioritizing operational excellence, cybersecurity, high-quality service delivery and building relationships.
In South Dakota, the process of finding a new CIO is underway, and Madhu Gottumukkala has recently joined as its second-ever chief technology officer. During these leadership transitions, Clines said he remains “committed to the success of BIT and the state of South Dakota.” He said he will continue to communicate with state officials, including with the next CIO when they are appointed, to support their continued effectiveness.
Clines said he feels confident the BIT team’s passion and experience, paired with operational changes he helped implement during his tenure, have left the bureau well-positioned for change: “I know they’ll be successful because of how amazing they are, but hopefully, I left them a little bit better than when I came in.”
