OSBM Impact Story: Communicating Change 

This post is written by current student Josh Davis.

Josh Davis is a current on-campus student in the UNC MPA program. From a military family, he lived mainly in Virginia before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Baylor University. Josh is currently completing his Professional Work Experience with the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, where he supports the State Budget System Replacement Project and budget development initiatives. 

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As I approach the halfway mark of my Professional Work Experience (PWE) with the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM), I have had the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work while learning more about the budgeting process and how government operates in practice. 

One of the major initiatives currently underway at OSBM is the State Budget System Replacement Project. For more than a decade, state budget professionals have relied on the Integrated Budget Information System (IBIS) to help develop and manage North Carolina’s budget. OSBM is now replacing IBIS with a modern budgeting platform designed to streamline budget development, improve financial reporting, and help agencies and universities spend less time on administrative tasks and more on informed decision-making. 

My role in this project has been to work closely with the Chief Information Officer and the IT team to develop and execute a strategic communication plan to prepare users for the new system. With more than 60 state agencies and universities involved, one of the biggest challenges is making sure everyone receives timely and consistent information. The goal is to help users understand what changes are coming, why they are being made, and what they need to do to prepare for a successful transition. 

Throughout the summer, I have developed multiple communications that were distributed to more than 700 budget system users across state agencies and universities. One introduced the new budget system’s name and branding, while another highlighted how OSBM incorporated user feedback from IBIS when designing the new system’s features. Through this work, I have gained a clearer understanding of the role effective communication plays in helping organizations manage change.  

In addition to my work on communications, I have also been learning more about the Agile software development process that guides much of the project’s work. I have participated in workshops, sprint planning sessions, and daily scrums, and have gotten to see how teams organize tasks, set priorities, and adjust to changing needs. This has helped me better understand how software projects move from idea to implementation and how structured teamwork keeps everything on track. 

Before this summer, I had limited experience with IT and software systems. Working on the Budget System Replacement Project has taught me the importance of communicating in a way that everyone can understand, regardless of their technical experience. It also reinforced one of my main takeaways from the MPA program: successful implementation is just as important as policy creation and program design in government. Through this project, I have seen how communication helps build understanding, reduce uncertainty, and prepare people to adapt to new ways of working in the public sector. 

I am grateful to the many staff members at OSBM who have welcomed me into their work this summer and generously shared their knowledge and expertise. Being able to contribute to a project that will improve how the state develops and manages its budget has been one of the highlights of my PWE.