Creating a long-term vision that keeps IIS modernization moving forward through leadership, workforce development, strategic investment, and continuous improvement.
Part 1 and Part 2 of this series explored how successful IIS modernization begins with thoughtful planning and is strengthened through collaboration across the health agency. But implementation is not the finish line.
Modernization is an ongoing organizational capability that must continue evolving as technology, public health priorities, and workforce needs change. Modernization is not a one-time project—it is a thread that must be ingrained within the fabric of the agency. As internal and external forces shift, IIS must pivot to align with them.
It becomes: "How do we ensure the IIS continues to evolve as a core public health data asset?"
Modernization is a continuous journey
Modernization projects, by definition, have specified start and end dates, but modernization, in and of itself, does not end when implementation is complete. Sustaining progress requires continuous assessment, improvement, adoption, and adaptation.
Modernization should be guided by a long-term strategy rather than a series of disconnected projects. The goal is not simply to replace aging technology but to build organizational capabilities that allow the IIS to continuously improve and adapt. Rather than focusing solely on today’s technology, successful modernization builds capabilities such as interoperability, scalable infrastructure, analytics, data quality, accessibility, security, and flexibility to sustain improvements in the long term. This principle is essential when establishing criteria for prioritizing IIS modernization. Agencies should evaluate not only the immediate or intermediate gains but also whether the result remains sustainable over time, long after the initial rollout is complete.
Organizations should regularly ask:
- What new public health priorities should the IIS support?
- What capabilities, knowledge, and skills should we develop next to adopt and adapt?
- How are we measuring success?
- Are we preparing for future technologies and evolving user needs?
Build a vision for the future
Sustaining modernization requires looking beyond today’s implementation.
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics, data visualization, cloud-native platforms, and real-time data exchange will continue shaping expectations for IIS. A long-term strategic vision keeps modernization proactive rather than reactive.
Leaders should ask, "What knowledge, skills, and capabilities will public health need five years from now, and how can today's decisions prepare us for that future?"
Communicating the benefits of modernization
Long-term modernization depends on sustained leadership support and consistent communication of the benefits to be gained.
IIS leaders should communicate modernization in terms of value in supporting the agency’s strategic mission and vision, as well as the benefits to be realized in areas such as faster decision-making, stronger data quality, improved interoperability, reduced manual work and duplication of effort, increased productivity, and better public health outcomes—not simply new software or infrastructure.
Consider a more targeted message that highlights the value to the users. For example, "We improved the agency's ability to exchange timely immunization data, supporting faster public health decision-making and reducing manual processes."
The value of IIS also extends well beyond immunization programs. Modernized IIS data can support disease surveillance, identify populations at increased risk, improve program evaluation, and contribute to broader public health decision-making when accessed or integrated with other agency data systems. Positioning the IIS as shared public health infrastructure—not simply a program-specific application—helps reinforce its strategic value across the agency.
The Association of Immunization Managers’ IIS Communications Toolkit offers practical strategies to tailor the value of IIS for leadership and partners. Additionally, PHII’s new Data Modernization Communications Toolkit helps public health agencies communicate the value of modernization, prioritize efforts, and build support among colleagues, leaders, and community partners.
Invest in a workforce that sustains modernization
Technology can be implemented, but people sustain modernization.
Workforce development should prepare staff not only to operate today’s IIS, but also to adapt to tomorrow’s technologies and processes. This includes strengthening competencies in interoperability, cloud technologies, analytics, AI literacy, data governance, and modern public health informatics while continuing to build leadership, project management, and change management skills.
Fostering a culture of continuous learning will ensure staff can continue to hone and develop the skills needed to sustain modernization long after any project implementation is complete.
Measure what matters
Long-term success is measured by more than software releases.
Organizations should continue evaluating outcomes such as:
- Data quality and timeliness
- Interoperability performance
- Workforce capability
- Governance maturity
- User satisfaction
- Cross-program collaboration and training
- Public health impact
Measuring these outcomes helps demonstrate value to leadership while informing future modernization opportunities and priorities.
Four actions to sustain modernization
As implementation transitions into long-term operations and maintenance, consider these actions:
- Communicate the value of the IIS to organizational leadership and decision-makers.
- Invest in workforce development through continuous learning and succession planning.
- Measure outcomes, not just activities, to demonstrate organizational value.
- Revisit your modernization roadmap to reflect emerging priorities, technologies, and funding opportunities.
PHII and CDC’s new IIS Sustainability Toolkit helps state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health agencies define and achieve IIS sustainability. It offers resources and real-world success stories to guide agencies in diversifying funding—through methods like Medicaid match and billing—and enhancing efficiency via shared services, infrastructure, open-source software, and process automation.
Looking ahead
Sustaining IIS modernization requires more than maintaining technology; it requires maintaining organizational momentum. When jurisdictions continuously invest in people, communicate the value of the IIS, align with agency priorities, and build adaptable systems and governance, modernization becomes an enduring organizational capability rather than a completed project. The future of IIS modernization belongs to programs that are prepared not only to modernize once, but are also willing to continuously evolve.
Modernization is not defined by a roadmap, a software implementation, or a funding opportunity. It is defined by an organization’s ability to continuously assess its needs, implement meaningful change, and sustain that progress over time. By approaching modernization as an ongoing organizational capability, IIS can strengthen not only immunization programs but the overall public health ecosystem.
References
Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) IIS Communications Toolkit
ASTHO – How to Build a Business Case for Data Modernization Efforts
ASTHO – Building, Equipping, and Sustaining a Data Modernization Workforce
PHII – Data Modernization Communications Toolkit
PHII – IIS Sustainability Toolkit for Diversifying Funding and Optimizing IIS Efficiency
Dr. Tony Winters leads the immunization project team at PHII in providing technical assistance for system transitions and developing workforce resources to support IIS activities.
Marcey Propp is the IIS Domain Lead for HLN Consulting, assisting jurisdictions in assessing and modernizing their public health data systems.
For more information, contact iis@phii.org.