North Carolina receives a “B+” for state government technology performance, the highest grade it has received to date in the bi-annual Digital States Survey since the survey moved to a grade-based ranking system in 2010.

The survey is based on data gathered by the Center for Digital Government.

“Moving up a full letter grade from the 2014 survey, North Carolina is expanding its innovation efforts through programs like the Innovation Center where agencies can test tech, and taking a wide view of the Internet of Things by not only exploring its uses in different public settings, but also helping local governments find ways to implement it,” the report says.

North Carolina also earned a top 5 ranking in “citizen engagement.”

The survey reviews states’ “use of technology to improve service delivery, increase capacity, streamline operations and reach policy goals and assigns each state a grade based on quantifiable results.”

“I’m extremely proud of all that we’ve accomplished over the past two years,” said N.C. Chief Information Officer and Department of Information Technology Secretary Keith Werner in a statement. “Governor Pat McCrory believes that technology is the key to modernizing state government. We’ve made great strides in improving the way we deliver services to the citizens of North Carolina, and it’s an honor to have that work recognized by the Center for Digital Government.”

The grade improved from C+ in 2014.

North Carolina graded out at C+ in the 2010 survey followed by a B- in 2012.

In 2008, under the previous system, North Carolina ranked 22nd among the top 25 states.

In the new survey, 10 states received an A or A-. Ten received a B+. North Carolina was among 17 states reported to be “trending up” in performance with 23 “consistent” and 10 “trending down.”

The grades were announced Monday.

States receiving an A were cited as “trending sharply up. They show results across all survey categories. Modernization is used to realize operational efficiencies and strategic priorities. There is evidence of meaningful collaboration, and performance measures and metrics are widely adopted.”

States receiving a B were noted as “trending up. They show results in many survey categories, and their leaders use modernization to change entrenched practices to prepare for more sustainable operations. Incentives for collaboration are in place, and performance measures are used in key areas.”

North Carolina details

Here’s what the survey reports about North Carolina:

State: North Carolina

2016 grade: B+

2014 grade: C+

CIO: Keith Werner

To Sum it up: Moving up a full letter grade from the 2014 survey, North Carolina is expanding its innovation efforts through programs like the Innovation Center where agencies can test tech, and taking a wide view of the Internet of Things by not only exploring its uses in different public settings, but also helping local governments find ways to implement it. In 2015, Gov. Pat McCrory established the Department of Information Technology to centralize IT operations and governance. The cabinet-level agency has since migrated users to Microsoft Office 365, and the state CIO created an Enterprise Project Management Office to be responsible for IT strategy and compliance. In another reorganization effort, the Government Data Analytics Center was moved into the IT office in 2014. Its programs include working with the Criminal Justice Data Law Enforcement System to deliver information from numerous sources in one place to provide more complete information about an offender. A Broadband Infrastructure Office established last year acts as a statewide resource for connectivity initiatives and aligns the need to expand access with FirstNet public safety network planning. The state’s portal has been redesigned over the last year to present services with a user-focused approach. A “persona-driven methodology” features 12 service categories on the home page to aid navigation of the site.

The breakdown

2016 Digital States Survey Grades:

  • A: Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Virginia
  • A-: Georgia, Indiana, North Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin
  • B+: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia
  • B: Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, and Texas
  • B-: Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Vermont
  • C+: Alabama, Louisiana, Nevada, and New Jersey
  • C: Alaska, Rhode Island and Wyoming
  • C-: Kansas

“The results of the 2016 Digital States Survey are very encouraging,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government, which is owned by e.Republic. “We did not identify any state trending down with regard to their use of information and communication technology (ICT). I think this reflects how critically important ICT has become to government service delivery, and the priority governors and legislators place on it as we continue to come out of recessionary times. More states received an A grade this year than ever before, and the effort states are putting into innovation, collaboration and making sure their investments are well aligned with the priorities of the people they serve has never been higher.”

No states received a D or F.

http://www.govtech.com/computing/Digital-States-2016.html