About KARS
KARS is the KITO Approval and Reporting System. Its purpose is to implement the required processes for the reporting and oversight of qualifying information technology (IT) projects carried out by State of Kansas agencies. It handles:
- Assessment of business risk for proposed initiatives, which determines their reporting requirements.
- Collection of proposed initiative information for mandatory review and approval.
- Approval of proposed initiatives by the executive authorities within their state agencies.
- Distribution of proposed initiatives to the legislative Joint Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) for required “advise and consult” review, and collection of any feedback.
- Branch Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) review and approval of proposed initiative plans, required prior to the commencement of project related procurement activities.
- Collection of project plan information for mandatory review and approval.
- Documentation of projects’ policy compliance.
- Assessment and registration of project risks.
- Branch CITO review and approval of project plans, required prior to the commencement of project execution.
- Quarterly status updates of projects in execution.
- Project close-out.
The online interface and automated workflows of KARS guide project managers, reviewers, and approvers through the required process of initiating and carrying out IT projects. It also offers decision makers visibility and insight into the overall IT project landscape throughout the state.
The current implementation of KARS is an adapted application of ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM).
Last updated: January 11, 2024