Through customer service, resource optimization, and the innovative use of information and technology, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) impacts every area of government. Nearly 10,000 users in 5 major departments, 20 agencies, and more than 100 bureaus rely on the EDW to do their jobs more effectively and better serve Michigan residents. The EDW achieves $1 million per business day in financial benefits. The EDW helped Michigan achieve $200 million in annual financial benefits within the Department of Community Health alone, plus another $75 million per year within the Department of Human Services (DHS). These savings include program integrity benefits, cost avoidance due to improved outcomes, sanction avoidance, operational efficiencies, and the recovery of inappropriate payments within its Medicaid program. The Michigan DHS data warehouse (DW) provides unique and innovative information critical to the efficient operation of the agency from both a strategic and tactical level. Over the last 10 years, the DW has yielded a 15:1 cost-effectiveness ratio. Consolidated information from the DW now contributes to nearly every function of DHS, including accurate delivery of and accounting for benefits delivered to almost 2.5 million DHS public assistance clients. Michigan has been ambitious in its attempts to solve real-life problems through the innovative sharing and comprehensive analyses of data. Its approach to BI/DW has always been “enterprise” (statewide) in nature, rather than having separate BI/DW platforms for each business area or state agency. By removing barriers to sharing enterprise data across business units, Michigan has leveraged massive amounts of data to create innovative approaches to the use of BI/DW, delivering efficient, reliable enterprise solutions using multiple channels.
Questions for Discussion
1. Why would a state invest in a large and expensive IT infrastructure (such as an EDW)?
2. What is the size and complexity of the EDW used by state agencies in Michigan?
3. What were the challenges, the proposed solution, and the obtained results of the EDW?