Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    The development of DHS' Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system will follow a hybrid-agile process, outlined below, which enables development and testing to occur simultaneously.,  

    The focus for the ECM system is to use a common technology platform that can be configured for various case management system needs across DHS.

    The five components hybrid agile implementation are: 1. Roadmap, 2. Discovery, 3. Sprint Cycles, 4. Testing, 5. Release.

    Scope

    The four DHS subsystems that will be developed on the ECM system platform are listed below. Learn more about the ECM subsystems.

    The ECM system will interface and share data with several other systems. The DHS Office of Administration's (OA) Health and Human Services Delivery Center (HHSDC) is currently working to confirm system interface details. Additional interfaces to internal DHS systems or external systems will be identified and confirmed with HHSDC as the ECM project progresses.

    Why use a platform and not custom code?

    Platform technology for the ECM system can help DHS better understand what is needed to run operations from the constraints of standalone applications. It will allow DHS to increase functions across departments and can help drive consistency across the agency. With the ECM platform, systems that were once siloed can now be easily grouped or combined.

    ECM will increase DHS' understanding of performance across the various human services programs administered in the commonwealth and will increase productivity levels across DHS program offices, counties, and business partners. The ECM system implementation will also result in large cost savings for DHS by reducing development costs overtime.

    Circles with text and arrows pointing to each other. First circle reads: "The Goal is to minimize customization as the ECM subsystems are implemented." The second circle reads: "Program areas may change business processes to use best practices that may be provided within the platform."

    Who is involved in the development of the Enterprise Case Management system?

    Strategy and Business Planning Vendors

    Strategy and Business Planning vendors are contracted by DHS and are responsible for support in project management, decision-making, communications, governance meeting support, policy analysis and program-level research, and strategic planning.

    To support the ECM system initiative, the Strategy and Business Planning vendors facilitate Business Process Alignment and User Story sessions with DHS program offices, counties, and other applicable stakeholders. These vendors gather the desired functionality requirements  of the ECM system.

    User Story sessions are facilitated by DHS' Strategy and Business Planning vendors. Review periods occur to allow DHS program offices, counties, and applicable stakeholders to review the user stories and confirm their satisfactory completion.

    Platform Vendor

    DHS contracted with PEGA as the platform vendor that will meet its requirements for case management capabilities. This vendor will provide, configure, maintain, and host the ECM platform. The System Integrator will work closely with PEGA for the delivery of the ECM business solution.

    The ECM platform vendor will fulfill an essential role to support the development, implementation, and operation of the ECM system.

    System Integrator Vendor

    PA DHS has contracted with Accenture, a System Integrator (SI) vendor. Accenture will serve as the development team for the ECM system. Some activities include, but are not limited to:

    • In coordination with HHSDC and the Program Offices, determine implementation strategy, timeline, and costs.
    • Data Conversion in coordination with Commonwealth and Counties current System Vendors
    • Facilitating discovery and sprint sessions with stakeholders
    • Configuring the ECM subsystems on the platform
    • Developing customizations
    • Developing and maintaining interfaces/integration between the platform and Commonwealth and DHS systems.
    • Performing testing
    • Providing Tier 2 Help Desk Services related to the applications
    • Maintaining the applications
    • Deploying releases
    • Accenture is developing a deep understanding of the PA DHS programs and services that will be managed through ECM.

     

    Office of Administration, Health and Human Services Delivery Center (OA HHSDC)

    Some activities include, but are not limited to:

    • Contract Administration and Management
    • Federal funding Liaison with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
    • Commonwealth Project Management responsibility
    • Assist with conversion activities
    • Ad Hoc Business applications duties
    • Security Oversight and Administration
    • Desktop administration for Program Offices

     

    Stakeholder Activities:

    Some activities include, but are not limited to:

    • Participating in Business Process Alignment (BPA)/User Story (US) sessions
    • Serving as Business Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
    • Coordination with conversion-related activities (e.g. data clean-up in the current system) and system implementation readiness
    • User Acceptance Testing (UAT)