OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2025 9GOVERNMENT CIO OUTLOOKMy goal as a CIO is to ensure agencies have a secure technology framework with the tools necessary to empower government functionshuman-centered organizational change management. Customer success managers have been assigned to all agencies to manage relationships, and numerous approaches have been adopted regarding communication and coordination to deliver an improved customer experience.Finally, I have initiated an annual strategy conference, where we invite IT agency leadership to set the strategy every other year. This group of leaders sets the strategy in the first year and discusses its execution in the second year, ensuring shared vision. The Impact of AI in the Government SectorThe government has been focusing on implementing an AI approach for targeted use cases where we can establish clear guardrails and ensure a human is responsible for all work done by AI. At this time, I don't believe AI is yet at the standard needed to perform sweeping enterprise programs.I have simple goals for the impact of AI. For example, it is my hope that implementing generative AI can save up to fifteen minutes per employee. When you apply that time savings to our 16,000 employees, the time saved is significant. My goal as a CIO is to ensure agencies have a secure technology framework with the tools necessary to empower government functions in the State of Montana. As a CIO, I aim to achieve AI literacy across the board, fostering community stewardship, developing a sandbox environment, and focusing on implementing AI in high-impact areas.Best Practices Driving Government CommunitiesFocus on incremental steps, focus on areas where you can make an impact, and implement technology wherever possible. Our team follows a commercial-off-the-shelf approach, where a custom-built product requires my approval. We aim to take advantage of the industry's existing technologies, saving cost and resources needed to restructure the entire ecosystem. There are ongoing strategy discussions on using AI to assist functions such as assessing property taxes, enhancing CX, and delivering efficiency in enterprise IT. Word of Advice for Peers The IT landscape is constantly changing, so staying curious is essential. CIO roles are rapidly evolving, and there is a dire need to adapt new technologies to reach organizational goals and achieve long-term success.AI is driving the development of high-end technologies, but that means greater interactions with end users. As a business consultant, understand your end users and help them achieve their business goals.Communication skills are equally crucial for translating technical goals into business-driven ones, focusing on the agencies' missions rather than the technology itself.Foundational progress takes time. We aim for speed, but some areas need focus, such as hiring technical talent and ensuring they lead you to a great solution. CIOs ensure resources are ideally spent, enabling the agencies to remain mission-focused.
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