ESAR updates from Deputy Assistant Secretary Nicole Ross:

All around the IT department, hints of change are everywhere. From Lonnie Paul’s retirement to the focus on re-hosting --- lots is going on. I want to say thanks. Thanks to everyone working hard on the many projects in flight. Thanks for adapting to change. Thanks for leading your teams and colleagues in the process. It’s not easy staying up on it all, so let me share what’s going on.

ESAR project executive sponsor

I want to officially announce Tom Hornburg as the new executive sponsor on the ESAR project. With the retirement of Lonnie Paul, Tom will slide in the role where his impact on timelines, organization and follow through are valued. Thank you, Tom, for taking on this role. I look forward to you sponsoring the path ahead.

Database modernization cancelled

As many probably expected, the database modernization portion of the ESAR project is changing from paused to cancelled. This leaves us with one remaining path of work, re-hosting.

We are disappointed this project track was not funded during the last legislative session because it suspended (or paused) the work. Since we have learned new funding isn’t likely next session, Tom, the IT chiefs, and I agree removing any doubt about its status is the right thing to do. We appreciate everyone who worked on database modernization and look forward to utilizing completed products and recommendations in the future as we seek funding for this work.

ESAR project vendor leader

Contracted project team leader/senior project manager Jeff Closson left the ESAR project in early October. With two work streams completed (application lifecycle management/RDNG and data reduction) and another one cancelled (database modernization), rehosting is the only remaining project track so it makes sense for Jeff’s company to use his talents elsewhere. The remaining ESAR project managers (Setty, Reddy and Stu) are absorbing the work until the project is complete. We will miss having Jeff around and truly appreciate his collaborative efforts and project management discipline.

More communications

Every survey tells us “communication is important”, no matter what the topic. We are increasing the frequency of messaging on the ESAR project. Expect one or two emails a month, providing project news and updates starting with this message.