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Gartner OCM Workshop Sizzle Reel – September 2024
Take a look at our last EFS Change Leaders Workshop of the year led by Gartner Senior Director Analyst, Shawn Murphy. The workshop in September 2024, helped to deepen the ASOs’ understanding of the change process. They participated in interactive group activities that gave them opportunities to articulate their case for change and to strengthen their…
HI Now Daily: Modernizing Hawaii’s government from within
The Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) provides governance for executive branch IT projects and seeks to identify, prioritize and advance innovative initiatives with the greatest potential to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve transparency and accountability in state government. ETS also supports the management and operation of all state agencies by providing effective, efficient,…
HI Now Daily: Update on the Enterprise Financial System (EFS) Project
Technology is both our friend and foe. It can make our lives easier but can also make us more vulnerable. Fortunately, Hawaii’s state leaders are taking charge of our future and investing in new systems, starting with a new financial management system. In alignment with the State of Hawaii’s long-term commitment to strategic business and…
Transform Hawai‘i Government Names Bill Kumagai Interim Executive Director Following Gov. Josh Green’s Appointment of Christine Sakuda as State Chief Information Officer
HONOLULU – Bill Kumagai, seasoned strategy and information technology consultant with years of expertise in major enterprise-wide projects for local, state and federal government, has been named interim executive director of Transform Hawai‘i Government (THG). THG is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that supports Hawai‘i state government modernization initiatives. It was founded by the Omidyar Ohana…
Gartner OCM Workshop Sizzle Reel – April 2024
Reflecting on last month’s EFS Change Leaders Workshop, led by Gartner Senior Director Analyst Shawn Murphy, the state acknowledges the imperative nature of change within the proposed EFS project. The workshop emphasized the need for a more inclusive and collaborative approach. During the OCM workshop, managers engaged in various group exercises to reshape organizational change…
EFS Update Meeting Sizzle Reel
About 150 change champions from across various state departments gathered for an official update of the EFS project at the Hawaii Convention Center on March 13. Employees showed they are excited about the potential for the EFS business transformation process to dramatically change the workplace and help improve the lives of employees. Watch the video…
State IT projects complex, need a different approach
No one likes to see money go to waste, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill for the state’s multimillion-dollar IT (information technology) infrastructure projects. Whenever a failed project, such as the state’s financial system modernization, comes to light, it may be tempting to call a halt to all of the state’s transformational IT investments,…
2023 Annual Report
Read the full 2023 Annual Report here. Aloha! Government modernization is often elusive and progress is difficult to measure, especially since the finish line by definition keeps moving forward. So often it is assumed that modernization is simply the implementation of an IT upgrade: install new software or new hardware and modernization instantly takes place. If…
2023 Hawaii Digital Government Summit
State government leaders involved with modernization had a conference exclusively for them at the 2023 Hawai’i Digital Government Summit. The all-day conference, held at the Sheraton Waikiki on September 25, was filled with inspiring speakers. THG was the only nonprofit sponsor of this annual event. THG had an exhibit table that invited attendees to share…
A World-Class Recording Studio at Washington Middle School
The second HI Now Daily segment in our “Transforming the Business of Government” series, features Washington Middle School’s new world-class recording studio, which will serve as a door to new opportunities for Hawaii’s youth.
Government Modernization Requires An Amazon Prime Mindset
Transform Hawaii Government conducted a first-ever comprehensive scan of government modernization last fall, interviewing nearly 100 state leaders from 20 different agencies who are on the frontlines of modernization projects. Based on the study, Transform Hawaii Government recently released a report that assessed the progress of modernization of the business services of our state government….
Transforming Hawai‘i’s Public Libraries
Our Executive Director, Christine Sakuda meets with HI Now Host, Kainoa Carlson and State Librarian, Stacey Aldrich to talk about government modernization in action at Hawaii state public libraries.
PRSA Hawaii Recognizes THG for Honolulu Star-Advertiser Op-Ed!
We are proud to share that Transform Hawaii Government was recognized at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Hawaii Koa Anvil Awards on July 27, 2023. We were presented with a Koa Hammer Award of Excellence for our op-ed “Use the Vote to Modernize Government” in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Read the full op-ed
Transform Hawai‘i Government Releases Report on Hawaiʻi’s Government Modernization Efforts
HONOLULU – Hawai’i state government has come a long way in modernizing its business services, but it still has a long way to go, according to a comprehensive assessment commissioned by Transform Hawai’i Government (THG), a non-partisan, nonprofit organization singularly focused on monitoring and supporting the state’s government modernization efforts. The report was recently presented to…
New Hawaii Modernization Report: A Catalyst for Change
Read the Executive Summary of “The State of Business Services Modernization” here. “The State of Business Services Modernization” report is out! Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke hosted a virtual meeting on May 5 to officially unveil the report to state leaders who contributed their mana’o to the report. The report is a huge milestone that would not have been…
Virtual Session on Best Practices & Tools for Leveraging & Managing ARPA & IIJA Funding
Hawai’i must be prepared to manage millions of dollars in federal funds that have been allocated to our state. THG and Gartner, in collaboration with the Hawai’i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations and the Nonprofit Grants Working Group, recently presented an informative virtual session on “Best Practices & Tools for Leveraging & Managing ARPA & IIJA…
Effective Government Starts With Political Will
The subject of government efficiency is a sensitive, volatile issue. And always seems to strike a raw nerve in people. Blaze Lovell’s recent article, “Is Hawaii Government Effective? It’s Hard To Tell,” captured the full array of responses and emotions whenever there is a discussion on performance metrics, data, and accountability. Having been deeply involved with government…
2022 Annual Report
Read the full 2022 Annual Report here. Aloha! THG’s Board of Directors recognized early on that 2022 would be a critical year for Hawai’i. With the support of the Hawai’i Community Foundation, THG was able to seize new opportunities to fulfill its role as a consistent voice for government modernization this past year. Elections Yield New…
Modernization renews hope for more effective government
The general election’s 48% voter turnout was about 10% higher than the primary, according to summaries from the Office of Elections. Although the results were encouraging, the turnout for Hawaii’s past two general elections was higher at nearly 70% in 2020 and 52% in 2018. Read the full article here.
Transform Hawai‘i Government Awards a $25,000 Grant to the Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations
HONOLULU – Managing the effective use of the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal relief funds that are being allocated to Hawai’i is no simple task. Transform Hawai’i Government (THG) and the Hawai’i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO) are partnering to ensure government agencies that disburse these federal funds and nonprofit organizations that receive…
TRUE and Transform Hawaii Government Launch First-Ever Hawaiʻi Cloud Innovation Summit
Honolulu, Hawaii – The first-ever Hawaii Cloud Innovation Summit will deliver a thoughtfully curated line-up of world-class thought leaders, use cases and panel discussions to inspire Hawaii towards cloud transformation. The conference, complimentary to all registered attendees, will kick-off with an invite-only executive leadership breakfast attended by our top government and business leaders in the state, to discuss…
Use the Vote to Modernize Government
This is a pivotal year for all Hawaii residents. We’ll be electing new government leaders as a result of reapportionment, and we’ll be deciding who will be our next governor and lieutenant governor. Affordable housing, homelessness, job creation, living wages, education, traffic and other platform issues are sure to top the list of prospective candidates….
2022 Legislative Recap
“Nearly a decade ago, as Hawaii climbed out of the Great Recession, some state officials sought to create an IT system that would make it easier to apply for government benefits – including unemployment insurance – during tough times. Specifically, they aimed to create an online portal, shared across multiple agencies, where locals who needed…
Chief Data Officer: A Strategic Leadership Role
Quality data is essential for Hawaii’s government, business and nonprofit leaders to provide meaningful input or make informed decisions on policies, programs and budget allocations. Without data, leaders cannot confidently make effective decisions and know whether their decisions achieved the intended results. Data influences multiple areas that are important to Hawaii residents. Data informs us…
Why Hawaii Needs A Chief Data Officer — Now
It’s a familiar story at the Hawaii State Capitol: A bill is authored by top legislative leaders, strongly supported by experts in the field and publicly opposed by no lawmakers, and yet it mysteriously dies in the waning days of session. Such was the case of House Bill 532 in 2019, which called for establishing a chief…
THG Poll – Hawaii Voters Want To Access State Agencies and Services Online, and Believe It’s A Good Investment To Do So
Transform Hawaii Government conducted a poll in Fall 2021 to understand public sentiment on the importance of a responsive, transparent tech-enabled government. We are glad to share the results in the following summary. Report: https://transformhawaiigov.org/media/1220/thg-2021-report-1322-final.pdf
Digital Talk Story Episode 9 with Senator Donovan Dela Cruz
In this episode of Transform Hawaii Government’s (THG) Digital Talk Story series, Executive Director Christine Sakuda speaks with Senator Donovan Dela Cruz about the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on government service delivery, current priorities for government modernization, and how the community can get involved to advocate for modernization. Sen. Dela Cruz represents District…
Gov. Ige and Local Business Leaders Share Vision for Hawai‘i’s Digital Economy
As Hawai’i continues its economic recovery coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders from the public and private sector are suggesting building a more robust digital economy as a key component of business within the state. That was the message Governor David Ige and top business leaders shared at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox for the event,…
21st-century government requires a long-term commitment
Like many business and community leaders across the islands, I was eager to hear Gov. David Ige present his State of the State address on Jan. 25. My hope was that more details would be shared on how Hawaii would bring its economy back. Unfortunately, many media outlets and political pundits felt the governor’s speech…
Five questions with Transform Hawaii Government’s Christine Sakuda
At a time of stretched resources and high demand for state-run services, due to the pandemic, Hawaii’s online government infrastructure has come under increased scrutiny. Christine Sakuda, executive director of the nonprofit Transform Hawaii Government, or THG, is paying close attention to efforts to modernize aging systems like the Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance process,…
2020 Hawai’i Annual Code Challenge Winners Are…. Virtual Competition Held Over the weekend
Press release by the Office of Enterprise Technology HONOLULU – More than 140 people attended the Hawai’i Annual Code Challenge competition that was held virtually over the weekend. OverEasi, a team from the University of Hawai’i, took home the top prize of $4,000. The team proposed a solution for a challenge by NIC-Hawai’i, called COVID-19 Chatbot,…
DHHL Submits Wireless Spectrum Applications to FCC
Press Release by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Kapolei, Oʻahu – The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has submitted five applications to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for unassigned spectrum in response to a Rural Tribal Priority Window that opened Monday, February 3, 2020 and closes on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Only federally recognized…
Redesigned ehawaii.gov Launched
Press Release by Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) HONOLULU - NIC Hawaii and the State of Hawaii Office of Enterprise Technology Services are pleased to announce the launch of the redesigned Hawaii.gov, portal.ehawaii.gov. Serving as the official website for the state, the site makes it easy for citizens to learn about and interact with Hawaii government, featuring…
Big Island Initiative Seeks To Bridge Student Digital Divide
“As Hawaiʻiʻs schools gear up for reopening next month, some students in the islandʻs more remote and rural communities will be doing so without adequate equipment for online learning. But efforts are underway on the Big Island to get as many computers as possible to students in need before the end of summer. Long-time Big…
Transform Hawaii Government Talks Tech and COVID-19 with Taiwan’s Digital Minster
HONOLULU – Taiwan is widely recognized as a successful case study for both COVID-19 mitigation and governmental transparency. Much of that citizen-centric technological progress is attributed to Taiwan’s Digital Minister, Dr. Audrey Tang. Last week, Transform Hawaii Government’s (THG) Executive Director Christine Sakuda sat down with Minister Tang for a virtual, trans-Pacific interview. Following an early…
Conversation with Minister Audrey Tang – Digital Social Innovation
Transform Hawai’i Government was pleased to host a conversation with Minister Audrey Tang to discuss Taiwan’s successful response to COVID-19 using the power of digital social innovation. Minister Tang provided an overview with an open Q&A session. The presentation covered: Taiwan’s successful addressing of the corona virus using the power of digital social innovation, and…
Challenges Facing Nonprofits: Transform Hawai‘i Government
Virtual Interview: Christine Sakuda, Executive Director, Transform Hawai’i Government How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Our mission at Transform Hawai’i Government (THG) is to advocate for an accessible, accountable and responsive government that enhances the quality of life for Hawai’i’s citizens, whether it be through an empowered workforce, innovative technology…
THG Supports Uplift Hawai‘i Initiative
Transform Hawai’i Government is in support of Uplift Hawaiʻi’s efforts to collaboratively collect ideas on how to reopen our state’s economy. The 5 principles to uplift Hawai’i: The health and well-being of all island residents A healthy relationship with our natural environment A diverse island economy with more local business and a new model for…
New Time and Leave System Replaces Manual, Paper-Based Timesheets for State Employees
Press Release by Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) HONOLULU – The state recently launched a new digital time and leave system to create greater accuracy and efficiency in its payroll process. The first group of employees transitioned to the new system in time for the June 5th pay day. Timesheets and leave requests are now transmitted…
Hawaii’s Internet Relies On Increasingly Tenuous Undersea Cables
Private Cable Owners Don’t Need To Disclose To The Public “To Burt Lum and many members of the Hawaii Broadband Hui, which Lum organized in March at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, a fundamental problem in Hawaii is that the three critical submarine cables are all owned by private companies reluctant to discuss their…
Column: IT overhaul crucial to handling state funds
Hawaii expects to receive nearly $5 billion in sorely needed federal stimulus funds, thanks to the collective work of our congressional delegation, state leaders and advocates from every corner of the economy. Even with that staggering influx of funding, Hawaii is sure to feel the gaping hole in our economy caused by a pandemic…
Hawaii Missed An Opportunity To Fix Its Benefits System Before COVID-19 Struck
“Nearly a decade ago, as Hawaii climbed out of the Great Recession, some state officials sought to create an IT system that would make it easier to apply for government benefits – including unemployment insurance – during tough times. Specifically, they aimed to create an online portal, shared across multiple agencies, where locals who needed…
Med-QUEST: An Agency’s Transformed to Online Services
Kaua’i County’s emergency proclamations are among the state’s most stringent. Of course, coronavirus caught much of the world and Hawai’i off-guard. However, in the private sector, small businesses rose to the occasion by digitizing their sales while some of our favorite restaurants quickly pivoted to offering online ordering and curbside pick-up through their websites. But…
How An Antiquated IT System Failed Thousands Of Hawaii’s Unemployed
The nearly quarter of a million unemployment insurance applications that Hawaii has received during the COVID-19 pandemic are being processed on a government mainframe that was installed in the early 1980s, back when Pac-Man was a cutting-edge video game. It’s fragile and slow, with technology so obsolete that it predates using a mouse, officials say….
The Students’ Dilemma: No Internet, No Class
Let me paint a picture for you: Your kids or somebody else’s kids are “social distanced” away from school for what could be the longest type of spring break in history. The school principal reassures parents that they’ll migrate over to a virtual education model. Problem mostly solved, yes? After all, 81% of Americans have…
Government Services Available Online
Press Release by Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) HONOLULU – As government offices begin to modify their operations to help slow the spread of COVID-19, those needing to conduct business can do so online. From ordering birth certificates to license renewals, residents can find more than one hundred government services from various state, city and county…
Fully charge Hawaii’s digital dashboard
Is government slow at applying technology to make our lives better? A McKinsey & Company global survey reported that digital government transformation fails at a rate of more than 70%. Here in Hawaii we have HITSP (pronounced “hit-spee”), meaning the Hawaii Information Technology Strategic Plan. Before your eyes glaze over from what may sound like…
Statewide effort to modernize financial systems begins with HIDOE
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is leading the state’s effort by modernizing its Financial Management System (FMS), a vital accounting platform that processed more than $1.5 billion in payroll transactions and $840 million in non-payroll transactions for HIDOE in fiscal year 2019. The executive branch’s goal is to align all state departments under…
Statewide effort to modernize financial systems begins with HIDOE
Press Release by Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is leading the state’s effort by modernizing its Financial Management System (FMS), a vital accounting platform that processed more than $1.5 billion in payroll transactions and $840 million in non-payroll transactions for HIDOE in fiscal year 2019. The executive…
Cybersecurity Is More Important Than Ever
Did you know October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month? This month should be a sobering reminder that every individual, business and government entity in Hawaii and nationally is always at threat of having sensitive information compromised by online hackers and criminals. That means me. That means you. Please click the button below to read the…
Hawaii Business Magazine: Five Ways to Make Government More Effective
This article is referenced from Hawaii Business Magazine. Read the full story https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/change-government-civics/ Change will happen when all citizens are involved, including leaders and employees from government, businesses and nonprofits This report is one of six reports on CHANGE because Hawai’i must change its path. CHANGE stands for six interconnected major issues identified by the Hawai’i Community…
IT Steering Committee approves strategic plan
The Ige Administration has a significant head start on its IT strategic planning. Members of the State of Hawaii IT Steering Committee approved the state’s updated IT Strategic Plan on April 25. This puts the administration more than a year ahead of the requirement to deliver an updated plan to the Legislature, as required by Act 238. The…
Gov. Ige signs HB531
“Our strategic plan provides clear direction for enhancing the state’s business processes with technology to best serve the citizens of Hawaii … We will continually refresh it as we move forward to account for lessons learned and changes in technology.” – Douglas Murdock, Chief Information Officer, State of Hawaii It is now law for the…
Legislators send HB531 to the governor for signature
Seven years ago, most people still looked skyward when you mentioned “the Cloud.” Yet, 2012 was the last time the State of Hawaii formally updated its IT strategic plan to modernize (and optimize) government processes and technology. Its 1,432 pages delivered an encyclopedic government plan promising “a future state that includes faster, better, and easier…
THG applauds confirmation of Douglas G. Murdock as state CIO
HONOLULU – Transform Hawaii Government (THG) Executive Director Christine Sakuda today released the following statement regarding the state Senate’s confirmation of Douglas G. Murdock as chief information officer (CIO) of the State of Hawaii: “Our Transform Hawaii Government coalition applauds the members of the state Senate for confirming CIO Doug Murdock, who instills confidence in our state’s…
New online services available this tax season
In summer 2015, the Hawai’i Department of Taxation launched an ambitious Tax System Modernization project that, over the course of five “rollouts,” promised to transform operations and better meet the rising expectations of taxpayers. Now, with the completion of “Rollout 4” last November, the majority of state tax services have been migrated to the new…
Why does the State of Hawai‘i need a chief data officer?
Making informed decisions about the future of Hawaii requires that decision-makers, both within and external of government, have access to empirical data. In fact, data governance is among the top 10 priorities of chief information officers across all states, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. That’s why THG identified bills like HB…
Hawai‘i must sustain its technology momentum
“By taking quick action to appoint a new state chief information officer (CIO), Gov. David Ige demonstrated a strong appreciation for having capable leadership in place to continue momentum set by previous CIOs. Expediting this appointment was critical not only to maintaining progress in implementing systems but also for assessing how well those systems are being used…
Data, strategic planning bills critical to transforming state government
THG is strongly supporting four priority bills this legislative session to usher forward progress in the areas of managing government data and long-term strategic planning: SB 1001, Relating to Government Data – Establishes a chief data officer and data task force, within the office of enterprise technology services, to develop, implement, and manage statewide data…
THG launches new website
In 2011, the THG community coalition network of citizens helped launch a major initiative to transform the way the State of Hawaii leverages technology to provide information and services to the public. Eight years later, it was time to overhaul the THG website to add greater functionality and resources to our coalition members. Built on…
Is digital government about transformation, optimization or both?
On Jan. 29 at Hawai’i Leadership Forum, THG hosted a robust discussion around the difference between digital government optimization and transformation. For example, OPTIMIZATION was described as continuous, incremental, evolutionary, strategic and intentional, but limited in scope and potential. TRANSFORMATION, on the other hand, was seen as mostly episodic, yet revolutionary, reactive and opportunistic, and…
Data bills top list of Hawai‘i’s most important tech-related legislation
HONOLULU – Thanks to dedicated efforts in the community to raise awareness of the importance of data in smart decision making by state officials, there are a number of technology-related bills moving forward in the 2019 Hawai’i legislative session. Transform Hawai’i Government (THG) has identified four priority measures with the greatest potential to move the needle,…
Governor requests funds for modernization
In submitting Gov. David Ige’s budget request for fiscal biennium (FB) 2019-2021 to the Legislature, the official press release may have led with high-priority areas like public education, affordable housing, homelessness and sustainability, but tens of millions of dollars are also being proposed for investments in modernization within nearly every department. Specifically noted during the Dec….
2018: A Year in Review
From the launch of THG’s new speaker series to an overdue update to the state’s information technology strategic plan, 2018 saw a surge of activity in the area of transforming government. As we cap the year off, here’s a look back at major events, milestones and accomplishments. Launch of THG speaker series In 2018, THG…
Christine Sakuda wants to modernize state’s IT infrastructure
Hawaii still lags decades behind other states in tapping information technology as a means to step up transparency and speed responsiveness in state government operations. But progress is in the works, according to Transform Hawaii Government (THG), a nonprofit coalition that advocates for tech upgrades, along with the phasing out of antiquated IT infrastructure, for…
THG ‘talk story’ explores digital and innovative solutions helping to improve Hawai‘i school facilities
HONOLULU – Transform Hawai’i Government’s (THG) Speaker Series continues in November with an exploration of the Hawai’i State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) efforts to leverage digital platforms and innovative procurement solutions to transform school facilities, enhance transparency, and pursue projects with greater efficiency. “Transforming Hawai’i’s School Facilities Through Digital Platforms and Innovative Procurement” will be held on…
Transform Hawaii Government presents talk story on ‘Securing Hawaii State IT’
HONOLULU – Transform Hawaii Government (THG) invites the public to another thought-provoking discussion as part of its free speaker series exploring government transformation. “Securing Hawaii State IT: Defending Against Cyber Threats” will feature State of Hawaii Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Vincent Hoang on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., at Bishop Square’s Pauahi…
Electronic signature capability continues to catch on
Three years ago, the Governor’s Office and the Office of Enterprise Technology Services launched eSign Service, leveraging an Adobe enterprise agreement that provided an electronic document signing solution for Hawaii state government agencies. The Governor’s Office piloted the program, requiring departments to submit documents for the governor’s signature using an electronic routing form template. To-date, there…
Hawaii Annual Code Challenge returns this October
THG is proud to return as a sponsor of the Hawaii Annual Code Challenge (HACC), the state hackathon, which links up coders in the community with participating state departments to collaborate on solutions to challenges currently plaguing agencies. Now in its third year, the theme of the 2018 HACC will be sustainability, and the event…
High-Tech Step Toward State Government Transparency
Original Story from Honolulu Civil Beat The Hawaii Department Dashboard‘s robust yet simplified approach to visualizing complex data is spot-on as a tool in making more efficient, cost-effective, and transparent choices for the state’s IT expenditures and governance. Last month, Hawaii Chief Information Officer Todd Nacapuy presented the online dashboard to nonprofit, government, and tech industry…
Transform Hawaii Government presents free talk exploring ‘Elections in the Tech Era’
HONOLULU – Transform Hawaii Government (THG) invites the public to a thought-provoking discussion focusing on conducting elections in today’s tech-centric society. “Elections in the Tech Era,” the latest offering in THG’s free speaker series, will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., at Impact Hub Honolulu (1050 Queen St., Honolulu). THG is…