Department of Agriculture

Objectives

• Adopt flexible workspaces and policies to compete with private sector.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Mid-Term Objective 3. Adobe Flexible Workspaces and Policies to Compete with Private Sector
• Invest in technology that will strengthen the department's ability to efficiently work mobile at any time.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Mid-Term Objective 3. Adobe Flexible Workspaces and Policies to Compete with Private Sector
• Identify, formalize, and document priority cross-training needs to minimize impact of employee extended leave, planned retirements, and unplanned turnover.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Mid-Term Objective 4. Develop a Succession Planning Initiative to Prepare for Retirements
• Provide the Agriculture IT team with relevant education, training opportunities and tools to strengthen skills and beneficial support capacity.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Long-Term Objective 2. Program for Continuous Anticipated Education and Training to Renew and Reskill
• Leverage opportunities for Cross-Training between Agencies
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Develop Cross-Training between Agencies

Objectives

• Leverage opportunities to optimize spending by participating in resources shared between agencies.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Long-Term Objective 1. Organize purchasing and development across agencies by product line
• Complete the implementation of ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management (HAM) to enable efficient hardware lifecycle management and budget planning.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Mid-Term Objective 3. Centralized PC and Peripheral purchasing
• Establish ServiceNow automated workflows for IT procurement request and acquisition processing and tracking.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Use the IT Procurement Request Process to Encourage Standardized Applications
• Standardize on PC and Peripheral options in preparation for centralized purchasing.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Mid-Term Objective 3. Centralized PC and Peripheral purchasing
  
• Use IT procurement request process to facilitate use of standardized applications for common needs.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Use the IT Procurement Request Process to Encourage Standardized Applications

Objectives

• Identify citizen services provided by the department that can be digitized, including digitizing forms and other materials citizens may currently have to submit by mail or fax. Leverage opportunities to implement digital solutions.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 1. Identify all citizen services that need to be digitized, including digitizing forms and other materials citizens may currently have to submit by mail or fax
• Continue to optimize department website with a citizen-centered design that provides quick and easy access to important and popular information, increasing opportunities for providing feedback and electronic service engagement.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 1. Identify all citizen services that need to be digitized, including digitizing forms and other materials citizens may currently have to submit by mail or fax
  Near Term Objective 7. Collect more feedback from the public and use information to improve citizen services
  Mid-Term Objective 1. Create a citizen-centric mt.gov site with a single point of entry for citizens
• Enhance worker mobility and accommodation by implementing modern remote access technologies and remotely accessible applications.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 6. Offer mobile options
• Continue to utilize the eStop Business License Online Service for the Department of Agriculture Nursery program business licensing. Explore opportunities to use this service for other licensing offered by the department. eStop is provided by the Montana Department of Revenue and shared with other agencies that also offer their licensing through this service.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 1. Identify all citizen services that need to be digitized, including digitizing forms and other materials citizens may currently have to submit by mail or fax.
  Near Term Objective 4. Define a cross-agency support model
  Mid-Term Objective 1. Create a citizen-centric mt.gov site with a single point of entry for citizens
• Continue participating in multi-state effort for the development and adoption of the System for Agriculture Food, Health E-Inspections, and Registration (SAFHER), sponsored by the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 1. Identify all citizen services that need to be digitized, including digitizing forms and other materials citizens may currently have to submit by mail or fax
  Near Term Objective 4. Define a cross-agency support model
  Near Term Objective 5. Complete single sign on (SSO) implementation for all applications
  Near Term Objective 6. Offer mobile options
  Long Term Objective 2. Implement a consolidated platform with common web services

Objectives

• Implement and establish department-wide adoption of ServiceNow CSM to provide effective structured case management and workflow automation. Expand beneficial ServiceNow functionality and utilization.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Plan for training and support of all enterprise applications
  Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications
• Implement structured internal change management processes to facilitate successful implementation and adoption of new technologies.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Plan for training and support of all enterprise applications
  Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications
• Upgrade legacy applications and systems using centralized enterprise services, products and support.
  
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Plan for training and support of all enterprise applications
  Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications
  Mid Term Objective 1. Deprecate legacy applications and roll them into enterprise applications
• Complete upgrade and adoption of our legacy Hay Hotline program to the ServiceNow platform, introducing UI improvements and automated workflow efficiencies.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Plan for training and support of all enterprise applications
  Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications
  Mid Term Objective 1. Deprecate legacy applications and roll them into enterprise applications
• Complete updated assessment of all department remote office circuit speeds and wireless capability to identify efficiency opportunities.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 6. Continually invest in network connectivity improvements to support operations, in particular, remote locations.
• When upgrading legacy systems or in need of a new technology, minimize total cost of ownership by utilizing Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions when beneficial if enterprise services are not available.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 5. Move the State to a "COTS First", "Cloud Smart" approach
• Complete Department of Agriculture migration from WebGrants Grant Management System to AmpliFund Grant Management solution by December 2022.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications
• Explore ServiceNow Grant Management solution currently under development with the Department of Commerce.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 4. Develop a collaborative process for adopting enterprise applications

Objectives

• Update and maintain registration of Agriculture systems in RSA Archer
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 2. Register State information systems in RSA Archer
• Perform ongoing scheduled reviews of Tenable scan results performed on department computers, and perform resulting follow-up tasks to update or remove software identified as high risk.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 3. Implement offensive security program
• Formalize Standard Operating Procedures for providing rapid response to SentinelOne alerts triggered by department computers.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 3. Implement offensive security program
• Foster a culture of department-wide security awareness by establishing successful completion of annual security training by 98% of all Department of Agriculture employees.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 3. Implement offensive security program
• Maintain current systems and update legacy systems to help optimize protection of citizens' data.
  State Strategic Plan Objective Reference: Near Term Objective 3. Implement offensive security program

Number of FTE: 5

The Department of Agriculture will evaluate, implement, and maintain innovative technologies that support its mission of "Serving Montana Agriculture and growing prosperity under the Big sky", while maximizing return on resources and delivering cost effective means for citizens, businesses, and others to easily access information and conduct business with the Department.