The Bottom Line - Winter 2019 - 11

transition to the new system goes as
smoothly as possible. I want this process to
be interesting and easy to use for the stakeholders and future end users and make sure
they are informed about what we are doing
along the journey.

Janine: My current role is Project
Manager for Implementation. In my role, I am
primarily responsible for managing the dayto-day project activities and resources. This
involves providing weekly status updates to
the Program Manager; ensuring collaboration across and amongst the various teams
which include contractors as well as OCFO
staff; and communicating key messages,
timelines, and project deliverables. Really,
this is all about working together to accomplish the overall DIFS mission and vision by
ensuring everyone on the team understands
how and where they fit in and how they contribute to the overall project.

Vernessa: Before coming to DIFS, I was
the cluster Budget Director for the Human
Support Services Cluster (HSSC). I handled
all the budget execution and formulation for
HSSC and worked closely with the Agency
Fiscal Officers (AFO) and Budget Officers. I
was at HSSC for over 15 years.

Janine: I also worked at HSSC for about
six years. I was the AFO for two agencies
- the Department on Disability Services

and the Office of Disability Rights. I worked
closely with Vernessa in that role, and we
continue to work closely together in our new
roles on DIFS!

2. How is it different from
what you were doing?
Vernessa: This new role is teaching
me a lot about myself as it requires a skill
set that I did not directly use in my former
positions. All my previous positions in the
District dealt with finance. It was much more
straight forward, as numbers are black and
white. Now, I must think more about the
people who use the information and not just
the numbers. This role is a lot more interesting and challenging and one of the biggest
challenges I have had in my career in the
District.

Janine: I agree with Vernessa. Our roles
are much more strategic than our prior positions. We're juggling a lot of different tasks
and, at times, multiple conflicting meetings
and since I can't be in two places at the
same time, I must continuously prioritize
these tasks. My previous role was what I
would consider more operational; a bit more
routine and focused on budget execution
and budget formulation. This new role is
both exciting and challenging, and I see it as
a great opportunity for my personal and professional development.

WINTER 2019 | 11
The Bottom Line - Winter 2019

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