- Will funding from COVID-19 stimulus opportunities mean more human and financial resources for IT?
- Are there governance processes in place to successfully execute large projects?
- What does a large, one-time influx of capital mean for keeping-the-lights-on budgets?
- How will ARP funding impact your internal resourcing?
- How can you ensure that IT is not left behind or an afterthought?
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Seek a one-to-many relationship between IT solutions and business problems. Use the central and overarching nature of IT to identify one solution to multiple business problems that span multiple programs, departments, and agencies.
- Lack of specific guidance should not be a roadblock to starting. Be proactive by initiating the planning process so that you are ready to act as soon as details are clear.
- IT involvement is the lynchpin for success. The pandemic has made this theme self-evident, and it needs to stay that way.
- The fact that this funding is called COVID-19 relief might make you think you should only use it for recovery, but actually it should be viewed as an opportunity to help the organization thrive post-pandemic.
Impact and Result
- Shift IT’s role from service provider to innovator. Take ARP funding as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create future enterprise capabilities by thinking big to consider IT innovation that can transform the business and its initiatives for the post-pandemic world.
- Whether your organization is eligible for a direct or an indirect transfer, be sure you understand the requirements to apply for funding internally through a business case or externally through a grant application.
- Gain the skills to execute the project with confidence by developing a comprehensive statement of work and managing your projects and vendor relationships effectively.
Maximize Your American Rescue Plan Funding Research & Tools
Use our research to help maximize ARP funding.
Follow Info-Tech's approach to think big, align with the business, analyze budget and staffing, execute with confidence, and ensure compliance and reporting.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Maximize Your American Rescue Plan Funding Storyboard
Workshop: Maximize Your American Rescue Plan Funding
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Think Big
The Purpose
Push the boundaries of conventional thinking and consider IT innovations that truly transform the business.
Key Benefits Achieved
A list of innovative IT opportunities that your IT department can use to transform the business
Activities
1.1 Discuss the objectives of ARP and what they mean to IT departments.
1.2 Identify drivers for change.
1.3 Review IT strategy.
1.4 Augment your IT opportunities list.
Outputs
Revised IT vision
List of innovative IT opportunities that can transform the business
2 Align With the Business
The Purpose
Partner with the business to reprioritize projects and initiatives for the post-pandemic world.
Key Benefits Achieved
Assessment of the organization’s new and existing IT opportunities and alignment with business objectives
Activities
2.1 Assess alignment of current and new IT initiatives with business objectives.
2.2 Review and update prioritization criteria for IT projects.
Outputs
Preliminary list of IT initiatives
Revised project prioritization criteria
3 Analyze IT Budget and Staffing
The Purpose
Identify IT budget deficits resulting from pandemic response and discover opportunities to support innovation through new staff and training.
Key Benefits Achieved
Prioritized shortlist of business-aligned IT initiative and projects
Activities
3.1 Classify initiatives into project categories using ROM estimates.
3.2 Identify IT budget needs for projects and ongoing services.
3.3 Identify needs for new staff and skills training.
3.4 Determine business benefits of proposed projects.
3.5 Prioritize your organization’s projects.
Outputs
Prioritized shortlist of business-aligned IT initiatives and projects
4 Plan Next Steps
The Purpose
Tie IT expenditures to direct transfers or link them to ARP grant opportunities.
Key Benefits Achieved
Action plan to obtain ARP funding
Activities
4.1 Tie projects to direct transfers, where applicable.
4.2 Align list of projects to indirect ARP grant opportunities.
4.3 Develop an action plan to obtain ARP funding.
4.4 Discuss required approach to project governance.
Outputs
Action plan to obtain ARP funding
Project governance gaps