Read Cracking the Monolith A & B.

Answer the two questions from a “Burkean” perspective with the ideas, models, and arguments from the case study and in Burke’s book (Organization Change), Chapters 9, 10, and 11. Be specific and clear. Do not use examples from your own experience:

1. What are some of the changes the Department of Social Services will have to make to implement the proposed system?

2. How successful or not is the new system likely to be, and why do you say so?

At the close of the California Child Welfare Services technology procurement case study, the writer makes a number of statements:

“But being truly user-centered and working iteratively would require far deeper changes in government. In moving to an agile environment the state found that it had effectively turned government hierarchy upside down. Placing an end-user at the core of the decision-making process in a traditionally top-down organization “is not without its challenges,” said Kelly. “Working in an iterative approach with distributed decision-making is really counter to what the state has used for building these systems in the past.” Now the state would need to find ways to empower staff to make decisions, in addition to fostering good decision-making.”

The case study demonstrates that an agile approach in and of itself does not provide the magic bullet for governments trying to fix technology projects. Changes in both management of and execution of these projects will have to follow for success.