With regard to benefits, state agencies planning to modernize (55 percent) expect a new system to meet about 63 percent of their needs in the areas of customer-centricity, improved self-service and improved decision-making, the survey found.

There are frustrations along the way. Of the states that modernized, 100 percent cited the need to extend system functionality with non-developers, and 80 percent felt the amount of required customization and interoperability across programs and systems was not in line with expectations. These deficiencies were perceived as factors that lead to project delays and contract and scope modifications.

But the states surveyed offered their perspectives on best practices. The APHSA report found that

• Leadership and communication are key. Technology can help facilitate effective communication throughout and across organizations, but only when those organizations define clear goals and work together to support implementation of the technical tools.
• IT must be nimble and responsive to change. HHS environments are dynamic and changing rapidly, and technology must be able to adapt.
• Gaining cost efficiencies requires effective use of benchmarks and measurement. IT deployments are long-term projects, typically taking years to complete. Ensuring the projects stay on track means defining guideposts and measuring against them.

“State human service agencies average spending $40 million over a three-year implementation timeframe, but the time has never been more opportune to benefit from IT advances to achieve the mission of HHS agencies,” said Tracy Wareing, APHSA executive director.