Data Story: How a Workforce Agency Built a Modern Data Strategy to Better Serve the State

Public-sector agencies don’t suffer from a lack of data.
They suffer from a lack of usable, trusted, well-governed data.

For one state workforce development agency, that challenge had reached a critical point. Staff were managing large datasets every day, but without consistent standards or shared operating practices. Systems didn’t connect. Privacy requirements were growing more complex. And leaders — serving constituents across the state — needed reliable insights to make timely, informed, and equitable decisions.

The agency had information.
What they needed was alignment, governance, and a strategic path forward.

This is the story of how they built one.

The Problem: A Growing Need for Strong, Unified Data Governance

Over the last two years, the agency had invested meaningful resources in strengthening data governance. They recognized data as one of their most valuable assets — powerful when used well, risky when left unmanaged.

With large longitudinal datasets, sensitive PII, and a diverse set of stakeholders including job seekers, employers, training providers, workforce boards, and policymakers, strong and nimble governance wasn’t optional. It was essential for:

• Protecting privacy and complying with evolving regulations

• Securing sensitive statewide data systems

• Enabling timely, responsible data sharing

• Supporting mission-critical workforce programs

Yet despite significant progress, gaps remained.

Staff continued doing their best — managing data with dedication — but often without shared standards, coordinated workflows, or common principles. This misalignment created:

• Duplicate efforts

• Manual workarounds

• Increased workload

• Fragmented insights

• Limited ability to use data strategically

Leadership recognized a critical reality:

Governance alone wasn’t enough. To reach the next level of excellence, the agency needed a comprehensive enterprise data strategy.

They sought a partner who could help develop that strategy — one capable of aligning governance, management, architecture, analytics, and AI readiness under a single vision. The next twelve months would be foundational, setting the direction for how data would shape workforce services for years to come.

The Turning Point: Choosing Strategy Over Status Quo

Rather than layering new tools onto old problems, the agency made a bold decision:
they would build a holistic data strategy to transform how they operated.

Not as an IT exercise.
Not as a compliance checkbox.
But as a leadership initiative — a way to modernize how the agency served the residents of the state.

They partnered with CSpring to guide the effort, beginning where every strong strategy begins: with the fundamentals.

Step 1: Understanding the Current State Across People, Process, and Technology

CSpring conducted a full data maturity assessment to understand:

• How data traveled through the agency

• Where bottlenecks and vulnerabilities existed

• How staff accessed, used, and interpreted information

• Which data governance practices were consistent — and which were not

• How aligned the agency was across divisions

What we uncovered was familiar:
Teams were doing heroic work within inconsistent systems, siloed processes, and limited visibility.

The findings confirmed the need for a unified, strategic approach.

Step 2: Building a 3-Year Roadmap With 150+ Actionable Initiatives

The agency didn’t need another vision document.
They needed a plan — practical, detailed, and tied to business priorities.

The resulting roadmap included more than 150 actionable initiatives spanning:

• Governance and stewardship

• Enterprise data architecture

• System integration and interoperability

• Reporting and analytics modernization

• Workforce development and staffing

• Privacy, security, and compliance

• AI readiness and future capabilities

This roadmap became the agency’s north star, guiding decisions and investments with clarity and confidence.

Step 3: Creating a Change Management Framework for Lasting Adoption

A strategy only works when people embrace it.

CSpring developed a change management framework to support:

• Clear communication across divisions

• Adoption of new practices and roles

• Alignment around shared goals

• Reinforcement of new behaviors

• Early wins to build momentum

This wasn’t just guidance — it was a structural support system for organizational change.

Step 4: Designing a Staffing and Capability Model for Long-Term Success

To keep the strategy alive, the agency needed the right roles, skills, and team structures in place.

CSpring designed a staffing and capability model that clarified:

• Future-state roles across governance, management, analytics, and engineering

• Skill requirements for each phase of the roadmap

• Career pathways for existing staff

• Hiring and training priorities over the next several years

This ensured the strategy would be sustainable — not dependent on a single team or project.

The Impact: From Siloed Data to Strategic Advantage

The transformation didn’t take years to materialize.
The shifts were visible almost immediately.

Leaders now operate with greater clarity.

They have the insights needed to make timely, confident decisions.

Teams are aligned under a shared framework.

Silos are giving way to collaboration and shared understanding.

Processes are becoming more efficient and secure.

Manual work is decreasing, privacy compliance is strengthening, and data is easier to access appropriately.

Residents benefit from more seamless, modern services.

The agency now has the foundation to design services that are responsive, secure, and tailored to constituent needs.

The agency is positioned for AI readiness and modernization.

With the groundwork in place, future capabilities — from predictive analytics to AI-assisted service delivery — are well within reach.

What was once fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to manage is now becoming a strategic asset.

Why This Work Matters

The pressure on workforce agencies to modernize has never been greater.

The cost of waiting is steep:

• Higher operating costs

• Increased security and compliance risks

• Slower service delivery

• Outdated privacy protocols

• Limited visibility into program impact

• Missed opportunities to innovate

But this journey proves something powerful:

Data strategy is not an IT project. It’s leadership. It’s transformation. It’s how agencies deliver a legacy of impact for the people they serve.

When government leaders treat data as a strategic asset — not a technical output — the entire organization benefits.
The public benefits.
And the state becomes stronger for it.

Considering a Data Strategy for Your Agency?

If your organization is navigating similar challenges — data silos, governance gaps, slow reporting, security concerns, or uncertainty around AI readiness — this story offers a blueprint:

You don’t need more data.
You need a strategy.

And you don’t have to build it alone.