All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, August 21, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 9:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
During the maintenance window, CWS-CARES application will be accessible, but users may be periodically interrupted.
Action Required
No action required for end-users is needed during this maintenance window.
If users experience any issues with the CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
CWDS Bulletins
CARES-Live Scheduled Outage - August 17, 2024 | 5 AM - 1 PM
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
In support of the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 deployment scheduled for Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the CARES-Live application will also not be available during this CWS/CMS scheduled deployment.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live outside of this scheduled outage, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
In support of the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 deployment scheduled for Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the CARES-Live application will also not be available during this CWS/CMS scheduled deployment.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live outside of this scheduled outage, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
CWS/CMS Release 9.4 and Interim Release 9.4.0 (3-Day Reminder) Bulletin
Release 9.4 will be implemented on Saturday, August 17, 2024
The application outage begins on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM and will most likely complete around 11:00 AM. Users will not be able to access the CWS/CMS application during this period. All application updates will be applied during this outage and should be available once the outage is complete.
Note: Business Objects will be unavailable from approximately 8 AM to 11 AM while the Release 9.4 updates are being applied.
Customer support will be available from the IBM Helpdesk at (800) 428-8268.
Coexistent county CWSCMS.MSI file availability:
The CWSCMS.MSI file was made available on Friday, June 28, 2024 for technical staff to begin testing the installation of the release. The code is located on the CWSDFSr share in the following location:
By Friday, June 28, 2024, dedicated county users should have started seeing the CWSCMS.MSI file copied to their workstations during Windows logon. Technical staff can verify that they have received the file by checking for its presence in the C:\CACW\R94 folder. This file must exist on the workstation for the installation of Release 9.4 to take place on or after August 17, 2024.
Dedicated County users should do the following on the night before the release:
The application outage begins on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM and will most likely complete around 11:00 AM. Users will not be able to access the CWS/CMS application during this period. All application updates will be applied during this outage and should be available once the outage is complete.
Note: Business Objects will be unavailable from approximately 8 AM to 11 AM while the Release 9.4 updates are being applied.
Customer support will be available from the IBM Helpdesk at (800) 428-8268.
Coexistent county CWSCMS.MSI file availability:
The CWSCMS.MSI file was made available on Friday, June 28, 2024 for technical staff to begin testing the installation of the release. The code is located on the CWSDFSr share in the following location:
- \CODEDIST\Staging\R94
By Friday, June 28, 2024, dedicated county users should have started seeing the CWSCMS.MSI file copied to their workstations during Windows logon. Technical staff can verify that they have received the file by checking for its presence in the C:\CACW\R94 folder. This file must exist on the workstation for the installation of Release 9.4 to take place on or after August 17, 2024.
Dedicated County users should do the following on the night before the release:
- Restart (reboot) the workstation and log into Windows (aka the "welcome screen").
- Restart again and do not log into Windows.
- Leave the workstation powered on.
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Refresh ISE 2.7 to new version 3.2
All Dedicated County/Org SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled a refresh project to upgrade our current Cisco Identity Services Engine server. The refresh window will occur on Thursday, August 18, 2024, beginning at 4:00 AM and concluding at 7:00 AM. Within the refresh window, Dedicated County users who use VPN to access the CWS/CMS application will experience a five-minute service disruption even if the user is already logged in.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled a refresh project to upgrade our current Cisco Identity Services Engine server. The refresh window will occur on Thursday, August 18, 2024, beginning at 4:00 AM and concluding at 7:00 AM. Within the refresh window, Dedicated County users who use VPN to access the CWS/CMS application will experience a five-minute service disruption even if the user is already logged in.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
CWDS Website Update
All SPOCS, Technical Contacts and Training Contacts:
Due to a State requirement, the CWDS Website will be migrating to a new website template. The look of the CWDS Website pages, including the CWDS Portals, will appear different; however, the content of the site will not change. There are a few visual differences with the new template (see sample screenshots below):
Due to a State requirement, the CWDS Website will be migrating to a new website template. The look of the CWDS Website pages, including the CWDS Portals, will appear different; however, the content of the site will not change. There are a few visual differences with the new template (see sample screenshots below):
- Website pages will have a blue banner at the top of the page content
- Font type and sizes have been adjusted to comply to the State template
- CWDS Portals link will be moved to the Main Navigation Bar
The updated CWDS Website will go live on September 2, 2024. For questions regarding this change, please contact Customer Relations.
Action Required
None at this time.
Action Required
None at this time.
Introducing CWS-CARES Video #2 – CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward
The CWS-CARES Implementation OCM Team is proud to present the second of several videos in the CWS-CARES Video Series. The videos will be under 5 minutes and will showcase the CWS-CARES product and prepare you for the coming changes.
The next video, CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward, was developed with all end-users in mind, expands on the benefits of CWS-CARES from the first video (Why CARES? A Case for Change) and will serve as a bridge to our next video tentatively titled: CWS-CARES 101.
Video Link: CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward
Recommended Action: We request that Implementation Coordinators and OCM Coordinators share the CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward video with all staff impacted by CWS-CARES. We also encourage you to show the video to your teams in upcoming meetings or when someone contacts you to ask about CWS-CARES. We hope you can use this video as a tool to help jump-start conversations with your teams about the future.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CWS-CARES Implementation OCM Team at cwdsimplementation@otsi.ca.gov. We’d love to hear from you!
The next video, CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward, was developed with all end-users in mind, expands on the benefits of CWS-CARES from the first video (Why CARES? A Case for Change) and will serve as a bridge to our next video tentatively titled: CWS-CARES 101.
Video Link: CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward
Recommended Action: We request that Implementation Coordinators and OCM Coordinators share the CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward video with all staff impacted by CWS-CARES. We also encourage you to show the video to your teams in upcoming meetings or when someone contacts you to ask about CWS-CARES. We hope you can use this video as a tool to help jump-start conversations with your teams about the future.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CWS-CARES Implementation OCM Team at cwdsimplementation@otsi.ca.gov. We’d love to hear from you!
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, August 14, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 8:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
There is no anticipated impact for CWS-CARES users. We are sharing this information in the unlikely circumstance that there is an actual impact during the scheduled maintenance window and the CWS-CARES application becomes inaccessible.
Action Required
No action required for end-users is needed during this maintenance window.
If users experience any issues with the CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, August 14, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 8:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
There is no anticipated impact for CWS-CARES users. We are sharing this information in the unlikely circumstance that there is an actual impact during the scheduled maintenance window and the CWS-CARES application becomes inaccessible.
Action Required
No action required for end-users is needed during this maintenance window.
If users experience any issues with the CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
Reports of Outages impacting CWS/CMS Application - RESOLVED
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
August 2, 2024 UPDATE: The cause of yesterday’s CWS/CMS outage was found and fixed. A network interface located at the Gold Camp data center was faulty. It was repaired around 9:00 PM last night.
The issue has been resolved and connectivity to the CWS/CMS application is expected to be fully restored. If a county continues to experience an issue with connecting to CWS/CMS, please contact the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268 for assistance.
______________________________________________________________________
The CWDS Office has received multiple reports of an outage impacting the CWS/CMS application. The CWDS teams are working with the California Department of Technology (CDT) on a resolution. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required
CWS/CMS
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
August 2, 2024 UPDATE: The cause of yesterday’s CWS/CMS outage was found and fixed. A network interface located at the Gold Camp data center was faulty. It was repaired around 9:00 PM last night.
The issue has been resolved and connectivity to the CWS/CMS application is expected to be fully restored. If a county continues to experience an issue with connecting to CWS/CMS, please contact the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268 for assistance.
______________________________________________________________________
The CWDS Office has received multiple reports of an outage impacting the CWS/CMS application. The CWDS teams are working with the California Department of Technology (CDT) on a resolution. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required
CWS/CMS
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
CWS-CARES Holistic Design Update
We are following up on the June 19th announcement regarding CWS-CARES holistic design. We know that many of you are interested in learning more about how this approach will impact you and your staff.
Here’s a quick recap:
The October 2026 Go-Live date and scope is not changing.
We are launching a more holistic approach to improve the user experience and deliver CWS-CARES Version 1 (V1).
Highlights
Here’s a quick recap:
The October 2026 Go-Live date and scope is not changing.
We are launching a more holistic approach to improve the user experience and deliver CWS-CARES Version 1 (V1).
Highlights
- Increased opportunities for user feedback and an enhanced user experience
- Users will provide feedback earlier with the holistic design process, in addition to Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST).
- Starting in September 2024, Core Constituents will be able to view a pre-built product in Salesforce that more closely resembles the final product. This preview is a new step that allows users to evaluate the design, give feedback, and identify potential improvements.
- Product reviews now include multiple scenarios for process validation that will cover several related processes. Previously, reviews of individual processes were conducted separately. By reviewing a group of connected processes, participants will be able to see how smaller steps fit into a larger workflow.
- Better user feedback visibility and traceability
- The product review feedback will be captured and tracked for traceability.
- We are implementing a new way for Core Constituents and users to locate and monitor their feedback and each other’s feedback from inception to disposition.
- Adjustments to upcoming Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) phases
- There are four EUSTs (previously three).
- EUST 1 is complete. EUST 2 begins in March 2025, EUST 3 begins in February 2026 with a duration of six weeks (previously four weeks), and EUST 4 begins in May 2026 with End-to-End testing for the entire CWS-CARES Version 1 scope.
- We would like to include a larger group of participants in all upcoming EUSTs (2, 3, and 4) to gain insights from a wider range of users and include other counties in addition to Core Constituents.
- Attached is the updated calendar of CWS-CARES Core Constituent meetings. Participants will receive Outlook meeting invitations for all sessions through the month of September. This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change; we will share schedules at least one month in advance of upcoming meetings.
- We believe this shift towards holistic design will be instrumental in creating a better user experience. We're eager to embark on this journey together and integrate this approach into many aspects of our work.
- If you have any questions, please contact Customer Relations.
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) Upgrade
All Identified SAS Users in Specific Organizations:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled an upgrade to the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) on Sunday, August 4, 2024, beginning at 6:00 PM and concluding at 7:00 PM. During the upgrade window, SAS will not be available to users.
Action Required
Reschedule SAS reports if they conflict with the scheduled SAS upgrade window.
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS or with SAS reports, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled an upgrade to the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) on Sunday, August 4, 2024, beginning at 6:00 PM and concluding at 7:00 PM. During the upgrade window, SAS will not be available to users.
Action Required
Reschedule SAS reports if they conflict with the scheduled SAS upgrade window.
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS or with SAS reports, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
If unable to find a specific Bulletin, please contact Communications.