Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q: Can meeting schedules be arranged to avoid conflicts for participants, and can communication about cancellations be sent earlier so members have adequate time to adjust their calendars?
A: As Implementation engagement ramps up your Implementation Lead (IL) will work with you to determine the best time for recurring monthly readiness meetings, avoiding conflicts with any other responsibilities you and your team may have. We will pass along the feedback of last minute cancellations to the appropriate teams.
Q: How did we come up with the time commitment estimates for the county implementation teams?
A: The estimates provided for each of the implementation roles are based on past experience designing and delivering similar implementations for other statewide IT projects. They are intended to be a range and will vary by organization. We anticipate these time commitments to increase as we advance towards Go-Live.
Q: Are there validations to flag inconsistent grade entries (for example, last grade completed is 8th but current grade is 11th)?
A: No. CWS-CARES does not have business rules of this kind, in case a child skips grade levels.
Q: Will counties that are not participating in the Organizational Change Management (OCM) Advisory Workgroup have access to materials and recordings?
A: Materials and recordings will not be shared with non-participants; however, activities will be shared in RUGs and bi-weekly implementation meetings.
Q: What are the expectations of prioritization with respect to the hours-per-role which were projected in the meeting slide deck as opposed to other ongoing project meetings?
A: The expectation is to please prioritize completion of CWS-CARES readiness activities within target completion dates. If you are finding that the workload exceeds the estimated hours, please have a discussion with your Implementation Lead (IL) to determine where adjustments can be made.
Q: Is there specific guidance around who will be a good candidate for a County SME?
A: SME selection will vary by topic. Depending on the nature of the readiness task, SMEs in general should have expert knowledge of related business processes, technology, training, and or policy within your organization.
Q: How can team members be added to meetings to show progress on the system?
A: All Implementation Leads (ILs) attend the weekly PDT Standup on Fridays where demos are provided. In addition, ILs are assigned to each Service Area where designs are discussed with the core constituents. Functionality is also reviewed and practiced each week during Office Hours: Staging Environment Practice meetings.
Q: When will counties be able to see/tailor the process changes for to the new system?
A: Organization Change Management (OCM) has completed the As-Is process maps and is building the To-Be process maps along with Change Impacts as functionality is being completed. OCM will present these to counties according to the Implementation Roadmap.
Q: What is the difference between the Organizational Change Management (OCM) Advisory Workgroup and the Counties' Organizational Change Management (OCM) Coordinators?
A: The OCM Advisory Workgroup is a larger overreaching group comprised of select people from different counties within each region and is used as a forum to gather counties perspectives on the materials and communications. This group will assist the OCM branch of the Implementation Team in creating global To-be processes, validate communication products like email announcements, FAQs, and will participate in various stakeholder engagement activities such as system demos, videos, and change impact analysis. The County OCM Coordinator works directly within their county only and handles county specific communication and OCM activities. Things like leading and supporting staff through migration, coordinating tailoring and delivery of communications, and understanding and tailoring as-is and to-be business processes to align with county processes and procedures.
Q: Are there situations where teams aside from the Implementation Lead (IL) (such as Organizational Change Management (OCM)/Training) may interact with the County team?
A: The IL is the Primary point of contact, however, OCM will be delivering As-Is/To-Be process mapping at the regional level (high level). The IL will then take those maps and assist with the tailoring of the maps to county-specific process.