What is SURF: Five Questions

Q&A with Joanne Tachikawa, Program Manager, SURF

From Transform Hawaii Government September, 2014

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), one of the top 10 projects laid out in Hawaii’s transformation plan, is a crucial foundational project for the State of Hawaii's transformation endeavor. Recently branded SURF (“State Unified Resource Framework”), the program aims to integrate seven core business functions into one, cohesive statewide system.

Transform Hawaii Government recently sat down with Joanne Tachikawa, State of Hawaii employee and SURF Program Manager, to learn more about the SURF project and how it stands to transform state government operations.

THG: What exactly is ERP and SURF?

JT: Known throughout the industry as ERP or “enterprise resource planning,” the SURF program will integrate core, back office functions including human resources, finance, payroll, acquisition, and more, into a single system across all Executive branch departments and the Department of Education. A number of other states have replaced decades-old legacy systems with integrated ERP solutions and have benefited from improved statewide access to information and reporting.

SURF, Hawaii’s ERP, will similarly streamline operations by facilitating information flow across various departments.

THG: Why does the State of Hawaii need SURF?

JT: SURF could potentially replace over 120 State of Hawaii systems in nearly 20 departments and affect over 40,000 state employees, ultimately transforming the way state services are delivered. Among the many benefits of this modern and integrated solution are reducing maintenance costs for redundant systems, minimizing security risks, reducing paper-based processes, improving access to real-time reporting, increasing productivity, simplifying timekeeping, and more.

THG: How long will it take to implement?

JT: An infrastructure upgrade of this magnitude will take time and require the collaborative effort of all departments. The proposed project timeline for SURF is five years.

THG: Will SURF impact state jobs?

JT: While SURF will undoubtedly change the way state employees work with each other and the public, no one will lose their job because of SURF. The ultimate goal is to create a better work environment for all state employees and SURF will help achieve that by reducing manual, paper-based tasks and offering additional resources.

THG: What is the current status of the SURF project?

JT: The Department of Budget and Finance, with support from the Office of Information Management and Technology (OIMT), released a request for proposals for SURF last fall. We are currently evaluating proposals submitted earlier this year and, in the meantime, are laying the groundwork for a successful implementation by standardizing business processes across departments. Minimizing customization of the new system will help reduce cost and expedite the process.

For more information on SURF, please visit http://erp.hawaii.gov/.

Video: How SURF Brings Us Together

State of Hawaii employees share their thoughts

Streamlining government operations through SURF will greatly impact the working environment of over 40,000 State of Hawaii employees.

From a webmaster to a fiscal officer, hear different perspectives from various state employees on how a centralized database is crucial to improving the way government delivers services to Hawaii residents.