2008/09 Focus

For the 2008/09 planning cycle Support Services worked with County departments to develop four major areas of emphasis.
Enhance customer service to Washtenaw County employees – this is primarily in the form of self service. Support Services has developed a robust intranet to serve as a portal of service delivery as well as information dissemination. A number of planned projects will further expand these capabilities.

Provide a comprehensive solution to document management – with the transition from paper to electronic documents it is not enough to simply digitize documents. A thorough document management plan is being developed that will look at:

• Retention schedules
• Storage policies, procedures and standards,
• Development of a central database for tracking,
• Incorporating physical storage into the County’s Space Plan,
• Strategic plan for Enterprise Content Management,
• Management of electronic records,
• Organizational development to transition culture and change practices.

Reduce the cost of doing business and expand the capacity of Support Services by establishing partnerships with other agencies – over the past few years, Support Services has been able to extend services to a number of other governmental units and not-for-profits because of excess capacity. This includes provision of websites, email, and professional development; allocation and maintenance of space and technology; as well as extending purchasing and maintenance agreements. Support Services no longer has the capacity to continue expanding service delivery without changing the way we operate. For 2008 and beyond we will be developing collaborative partnerships that will look at not just expanding capacity but also reducing the cost of doing business. Washtenaw County is in advanced stages of conversation with the City of Ann Arbor to merge data centers.

Develop Information Technology and Support Services as a Data-Driven Organization - Washtenaw County has made significant investments in enterprise planning software. Over the nnext two years there will be a major focus of getting the information that is available in those enterprise systems at the fingertips of staff and management to inform decision making on both a strategic and day-to-day basis. All staff now have customized portals in Tririga that show their relevant view of information, including work tasks, overviews and replacement plans.

Enhance Customer Service for Washtenaw County Employees - The County has implemented several initiatives over the years to provide self-service options to employees and county citizens/customers to enhance service delivery. This has also resulted in budget and personnel efficiencies within Washtenaw County. A focus for 2008 and 2009 will be to to further improve the service delivery of the County; to provide enhanced accessibility to data and information OR to provide anytime and anywhere access to data and information; to reduce the cost of customer interaction and to result in savings in budget. One major example of this is retiree access to benefits information and the employee website.
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