Weekly Roundup: October 5-9, 2020

Submitted by on Fri, 10/09/2020 - 00:39

Michael J. Keegan

Lawsuit upends $4B DHS software buy. A push to buy a modernized DHS financial management system is being held up by another court battle, one that threatens to again upend a project that already suffers from a long history of failure.

Should Government Reorganize Itself?: Virtual Agencies (Part IV)

Submitted by on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 14:59

When Vice President Gore’s reinventing government team was being formed in the early 1990s, he encouraged it to not focus on reorganizing agencies and programs, but rather to fix what’s inside the agencies.  He also advocated the creation of “virtual agencies.”  At the time, no one really understood what he was talking about, but today – with the technologies now available – it is really possible.

Should Government Reorganize Itself?: Presidential Reorganization Authority (Part II)

Submitted by on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 14:54

What Is Presidential Reorganization Authority?

Beginning in 1932, presidents were periodically granted authority by Congress to submit plans to reorganize agencies.  Over time, it became increasingly limited in scope and when this authority expired in 1984, presidents since then have not asked for it to be renewed, until now.

LTC Xkoshan Arnold

Submitted by on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 12:13
Lieutenant Colonel Xkoshan L. Arnold, U.S. Army, is an active duty acquisition officer currently serving as a Research Fellow in the Army’s one-year-long Training with Industry Program at IBM. His research fellowship is intended to develop his technical expertise and analytic leadership so that he can apply industry best practices in his future Army assignments. This blog post was written during his time at the IBM Center.

You Want “the Cloud?" So, Now What?

Submitted by on Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:45

Introduction. Imagine this. It is Monday morning and your boss walks into the office unexpectedly excited. Curious, you inquire about her excitement. She informs you that the organization was just approved to “move to cloud.” She then informs you that she is placing you in charge of the effort. Before you could ask her any questions, she hurries to her first meeting, leaving you wondering “what are we moving to the cloud?”

Saying “Thank You” Matters

Submitted by on Wed, 10/07/2020 - 17:40

This year’s awards recognize 225 individuals and/or teams that improved mission results, customer service or demonstrated accountable stewardship. Six were highlighted for the President’s Award. For example, one team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was recognized for fixing an instrument failure on a newly launched, $1 billion weather satellite – from a distance of 22,300 miles!  Absent their ingenuity, it would have been a total loss.

Weekly Roundup: September 28 to October 2, 2020

Submitted by on Fri, 10/02/2020 - 14:06

Michael J. Keegan

VA on the fence about homegrown patient portal. The My HealtheVet tool used by more than 3 million veterans to access care at the Department of Veterans Affairs could be retired in favor of a tool from vendor Cerner as part of the agency's $16 billion electronic health record software upgrade.

A Short Trip Through Regulatory History

Submitted by on Fri, 10/02/2020 - 09:21

This week marks the 27th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 12866, which has set out principles for development and review of Federal agency regulations across the last four Administrations.  The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) oversees EO 12866; a view of key highlights behind the directive and its amendments provides an informative guid

How new leaders should think about artificial intelligence

Submitted by on Thu, 10/01/2020 - 13:43

Blog Co-Author:  Katie Malague, Vice President, Government Effectiveness, Partnership for Public Service

Intelligent automation incorporates AI, blockchain, cloud computing, robotics and other technologies, and is collectively transforming how agencies work—from managing paperwork to using data for decision-making to providing services to customers.

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