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May 15, 2002
Strategic Planning: Lessons Learned from a "Big-Business" District
By Richard Hoffman
How does a mammoth school district create and maintain a successful technology program? From the Fairfax County Public Schools, an insider's perspective. |
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You may have heard the adage that when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's tough to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. That, in a nutshell, is the problem with IT planning. More often than not, the entire IT organization will find itself overworked, understaffed, and under the gun, and the temptation to make short-term tactical fixes can be irresistible. Districts that consistently follow that very natural path, however, will find themselves in an inevitable downward spiral, becoming more and more reactive, eventually spending so much time fighting fires that the whole IT house can burn down around their ears.
High-Tech Renovation
With $1.2 million allocated to upgrading the Chapel Square facility, Fairfax County Public Schools had to make some quick decisions about where, how, and what. Here's a look at the process they followed. more > > > |
So what's the answer? Strategic planning-stepping back to take a consistent, long-term, strategic look at IT issues at every level and from every perspective in your district.
In this article, members of the Division of Information Technology at Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Va., present some seasoned perspectives on strategic planning. These practical, real-world examples have come out of painful experiences with our own alligator pits.
What we're dealing with:
- Projected enrollment for 2002-2003: 169,000 students
- 80,000 computer workstations
- 22,000 staff members
Perspectives on Strategic Planning
Assistant Superintendent/CIO, Division of Information Technology
Director, Knowledge Asset Management
Technical Architect, Technology Integration
Director/Chief IT Architect, Technology Integration
Director, Information Technology Infrastructure
Coordinator of Financial Management, Technology Integration
Coordinator, Technology Assessment Lab, Technology Integration
Richard Hoffman is Web technologies coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools Division of Information Technology.
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