WRMA was selected by the Louisana Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide project management and Quality Assurance (QA) in the development of the Kids and Families Integrated Data System LAKIDS (SACWIS) project. WRMA partnered with Maximus, Inc., providing both SACWIS and child welfare subject matter and technical expertise. WRMA/ Maximus staff conducted extensive reviews of the system requirements verification, conceptual design and detailed design deliverable documents for the LAKIDS system. During the design phase, staff participated in Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions conducted for each phase, advocating for design specifications and changes on behalf of state staff. This also involved coordinating reviews of all the vendor deliverables. This benefited all parties, resulting in a useable format for the individual design components of the Louisiana SACWIS system.
The QA project team also conducted several cost-benefit analyses, including a nationwide survey on the status and cost of various state SACWIS systems, to assure that efficiencies achieved through implementation of the SACWIS system would be a cost-effective investment for Louisiana and the federal government. In addition, the QA project team prepared Advanced Planning Document Updates for the Federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and also participated in securing federal approval for project funding.
Following the design phase, the status of the information systems managed in the Department of Social Services were evaluated, and the state made a decision to adopt a broader, enterprise-wide approach to support the Department's information technology system needs. The QA project team helped the state survey the marketplace for available enterprise architecture software to support the programs targeted for inclusion in the Enterprise. These programs were Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care and Child Protective Services/Child Welfare Services. The help provided by the QA project team included the development and release of a Request For Information (RFI) process to identify commercially available "off-the-shelf" human services delivery software solutions and a functional analysis of the identified products. Specific evaluation criteria were developed based on the identified DSS enterprise specifications, both programmatic and technical. The responses were evaluated, and ranked in order of their ability to meet the specifications and submitted to the state.
The QA Project Team was also charged with preparing a high-level business process model of the integrated Enterprise Architecture. WRMA initially started work on the development of a detailed Enterprise Architecture model of the state's current business processes to identify business flows and optimum integration for the information system to support staff. Following the documentation of the current business model ("As Is"), the QA Project Team conducted a series of sessions with State of Louisiana's staff to develop the "To Be" model for how the new information system would support integrated programs.
The final task associated with this project was the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain the services of a Design, Development and Implementation (DD&I) vendor.
