Where's the data? Data Working Groups, Document Management Systems, and Consistent Reporting of Impacts

摘要

Access to information is important to the successful operation of any organization. It is one area most organizations are continually working on, taking advantage of new technology developments that allow for better and more practical access to information. Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program, a public-private partnership between the state and the independent firms delivering the component programs, has presented some great opportunities but also some significant challenges, not the least of which is providing access to information. The Focus team includes the Wisconsin Department of Administration, four program administrators (each with multiple subcontractors), and several additional contractors, primarily a marketing contractor, an evaluation contractor and a compliance contractor. Each of these organizations is generating information that is needed by the other organizations on the Focus team. Three initiatives have been undertaken by Focus in an effort to address the issues related to providing access to information: 1) the creation of data work groups, 2) the design of a centralized document management system, and 3) the implementation of a centralized data warehouse to facilitate analysis of financial and operation data. This paper will discuss the purpose of these initiatives, identify the issues encountered in implementing them, and provide an overview of the benefits and costs of those efforts and a summary of their current status.