Leading the Way: State and Local CIO Priorities for 2023

There's no question that a responsive, innovative government is more critical than ever. Here are some issues that are top of mind for state and local technology leaders as we take on the new year.

The year 2023 seemed so far away when we began our careers serving people through technology. The world of government has changed over those years to become a multifaceted experience driving services to multiple generations of diverse constituents. Where will this government experience head in 2023 with the push toward AI and other emerging technological innovations? We don't have a crystal ball, but we do have all of you, the state and local technology leaders to help guide us forward.

The Center for Digital Government* (CDG) recently held a gathering of some of the best and brightest in government IT at our Envision Summit in Austin, Texas. The conversations were amazing and the hope for the future burns bright. While this column cannot do all those conversations justice, here are some highlights of what everyone sees as being high on the priority list for the new year.

The need to attract and retain quality technology professionals to get the work done. The people issues continue to drive the narrative forward.
The need to be safe and secure still rides on top of the priority list. Cybersecurity will always be No. 1!
Based on our discussions, we see the need to grow business relationship management in the changing government landscape to make sure that IT is moving in concert with the business units of government. Managing those relationships is paramount to success.
The need to effectively manage projects from inception to delivery is going to be an important part of everyone’s 2023 plans. If you cannot get it done, then relationships could crumble, and all of that great work could be lost. Everyone agrees that money is flowing, and expectations are high — how will you manage the much-needed projects to meet those expectations?
— What skills are needed for strong project management?
— What skills are needed to manage stakeholder expectations?
— What is the right mix of in-house and strategically outsourced project managers?
— Do you have the right policies and processes in place to make project managers effective?
The need to truly reform the way governments buy technologies. The pandemic taught everyone an important lesson on how a speedy procurement process can help deliver technologies at faster speeds than ever before. Technology changes so rapidly that the traditional way of procuring tech can potentially doom a project before it can even be delivered. What did we learn from crisis procurement that can be…