IT Governance Planning and Strategic Framework: HHS IT Plan Report

This report provides an analysis of the IT Governance Planning and Strategic Framework, focusing on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) IT Governance Plan for 2017-2020. The report examines the plan's strategic goals, including advancing scientific innovation and knowledge, enhancing cybersecurity, improving IT management, and promoting data sharing and interoperability. The analysis delves into how the HHS aims to leverage IT to achieve organizational objectives, improve data analytics, and ensure the protection of sensitive information. The report also references relevant literature and provides a comprehensive overview of the HHS's approach to IT governance, highlighting the importance of a well-defined framework for organizational development and efficient IT operations. The framework covers aspects of modern information technology and provides guidelines for improvements.

Running head: IT GOVERNANCE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
IT Governance Planning and Strategic Framework
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IT GOVERNANCE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
Introduction
A set of processes and policies that are used to define the objectives of an organization
and achieve other organizational goals, through the means of improvement in the IT field is
known as IT governance. An IT governance plan or framework helps to guide an organization to
ensure that the regular business components of it are being fulfilled efficiently and fruitful
outcomes can be desired off it (Ferguson et al., 2013). In this report, the U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services’ IT governance plan recommendations shall be discussed.
IT Governance Plan 2017-2020 for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The Hhs.gov (2018), states that this is the first IT Governance Strategy Plan of the Health
and Human Services (HHS) Department of the United States of America. The HHS IT plan
2017-2020 ensures that the department realizes the complete benefits of IT. The IT strategic
goals and recommendations made by their framework are as follows:
1. Advance Scientific Innovation and Knowledge
Under this strategic goal, the organization tends to make the fullest of the scientific
innovations and improve their health services. To improve the technologies used in the
laboratories, the surveillance system and the epidemiology capacity are the main elements of this
strategic goal. The organization feels the need to browse through the core of scientific
knowledge development and through an information-driven approach. This would help to
collect, analyze and store huge chunks of health related data, which will benefit the customers,
and all other stakeholders of the department.
2. Cyber Security

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IT GOVERNANCE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
The protection of the IT assets is one of the most critical aspects in ensuring reliability of the
HHS information system. The organization plans to adapt a complete risk management approach
in order to prioritize health information security. They wish to achieve this goal by fulfilling the
following objectives:
1. Improve privacy and security of personal information and health records within the HHS
information system.
2. Efficiently monitor and respond to IT system vulnerabilities and threats.
3. Prioritize investment in the field of cybersecurity.
3. IT Management
Under this strategic plan, the government organization wishes to improve IT service
delivery through an effective mode of project management. The plan also aims to implement a
streamlined reporting of the mission delivery processes. This increases the availability of data,
thus help to implement better data analytics, and further improve IT decision making. The
organization also wishes to train the professionals with proper IT knowledge in order to access
and handle IT resources efficiently.
4. Data Sharing and interoperability
This part of the plan wishes to promote data sharing, usability and interoperability within
the HHS departments. This enables robust sharing of data within the department and hence aid
the data storage and analytics process. Another crucial aspect of this strategic goal is to expand
user engagement by increasing the scope and quality of data and system accessibility.

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IT GOVERNANCE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
Conclusion
The IT governance plan of the HHS of US is a framework that would not only guide the
inter-components of that department but shall also help in the organizational development of any
that may follow. The framework clearly covers every aspect of the modern Information
Technology areas and thrives to improve their way of working based on the accordingly planned
guidelines.

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IT GOVERNANCE PLANNING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
References
Ferguson, C., Green, P., Vaswani, R., & Wu, G. H. (2013). Determinants of effective
information technology governance. International Journal of Auditing, 17(1), 75-99.
Hhs.gov. (2018). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at:
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/itstrategicplan2017.pdf [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].