Ken Theis
CIO
Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT)
Symposium Roles
CIO Award Finalist 2008Bio
Ken leveraged portfolio management practices to break down agency silos and ensure that scarce budget dollars are invested in the highest value IT projects.
The Michigan Portfolio Assessment Framework evaluates projects on metrics of value and risk, creating "a better balance of IT investments, flexibility, and agility to keep pace with political priorities and build consensus among stakeholders."
The first portfolio process whittled down 140 projects to 49 and enabled agencies that had previously worked semi-independently to work in lock-step.
Other Michigan agencies have recognized the value of portfolio-based management to improve governance, and are investigating how to apply the Michigan Portfolio Assessment Framework to non-IT investment decisions.