Is your organization still bogged down in ‘government-speak’? Isn’t it time you get with the ‘plain language’ program – and get back to clear, simple, direct communication?
Plain language is communication that your target audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. Use clear, direct language to say what you mean, so your audience can understand your message, and find what they need. Keep reading →
The Government Accountability Office has identified a number of leading green IT practices used by federal, state, and local government and private-sector organizations that could save millions of dollars if implemented by additional agencies.
According to a GAO report released last week, several agencies have taken steps to implement federal green IT requirements but aren’t able to effectively measure the results of those efforts.
GAO recommended the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in conjunction with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, direct agencies to implement the leading practices as well as develop baselines for their green IT-related goals and, where possible, targets that measure energy or cost savings or other quantifiable benefits. Keep reading →
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security joined Mitre Corp. and the SANS Institute provided an important service in highlighting the top 25 most dangerous software errors that lead to today’s most common security breaches.
The newly revised ranking calls out many of the mistakes made by developers while creating new code, such as SQL injection, OS command injection and buffer overflow. Keep reading →
The use of dashboards in the federal government took off when President Obama released his Open Government initiative in early 2009. Here’s a snapshot of where they are today, and some lessons learned from the pioneers.
Vivek Kundra is leaving the federal government after having served as its first chief information officer. Probably one of his most visible initiatives was to create the IT Dashboard which he used to publicly track the performance of information technology investments across federal agencies. There’s even a picture of President Obama studying Vivek’s on-line IT Dashboard! Keep reading →
Federal agencies may be limited in their ability to hire new employees, but as a human resources professional, hiring manager or senior executive, you should make sure that your agency continues to have a presence on college campuses even if you’re not actively filling jobs.
In the current climate of budget uncertainty, there may be a temptation to pull back on campus recruiting because you don’t have specific positions to fill. This would be a mistake. Keep reading →
Mobile computing technologies represent a true paradigm shift for organizations, providing an unprecedented level of autonomy and productivity for users by eliminating geographical barriers.
The traditional model of centralized applications and data are rapidly fading away as users continue to exploit the value of on-demand information regardless of geographic boundaries. From the user’s perspective, mobile technology is fantastic. Keep reading →
The sixth in a series of “Seven Management Imperatives” for government leaders, based on the insights provided by some 300 senior government officials and more than 300 research reports, courtesy of IBM Center of The Business of Government.
Successful agencies are using innovative acquisition methods to shorten the lifecycle of a contract, forging partnerships with the private sector through challenges and prizes, and finding innovative solutions. Keep reading →
No matter what savings result from the current deficit reduction negotiations, there’s little hope for long-term, structural savings if we continue to run the government using 20th-century management. That’s why the final package should also include a management package building on similar innovations that both the GOP and White House recently proposed that would radically alter the way government agencies report on their own operations and process reports from corporations.
The benefits could include billions of dollars in operating savings, improved operating efficiency and delivery of services, transparency that would earn public trust, and substantial savings for businesses. Keep reading →
The National Treasury Employees Union is tired of the bad rap federal employees have been taking of late and has gone on the offensive with a new set of radio and television public announcements.
“When you stop and think about the innumerable ways federal employees work to improve the quality of life in America, it is hard to comprehend why they have recently been the target of harmful attacks,” said NTEU National President, Colleen M. Kelley. Keep reading →
Making High Quality Decisions In Government
By David DejewskiA “high quality decision” in this context is a somewhat complex concept that deserves a few words.
High quality decisions maximize resources and minimize fail. They produce the biggest bang for the buck, mitigate “tail” or after-the-fact costs, and put “rounds on target” meaning they satisfy the organizational requirement for a given period of time (vs. a perceived requirement or collateral requirements).
High quality decisions endure over time and reach distributed audiences in tact. They are clear, capable of being executed, and understood by all stakeholders involved.
It also bears mentioning that making no decision at all can cost as much as making a poor decision. I have seen cases where not making a decision can cost as much as $1 million per day. A high quality decision, therefore, is also timely.
The Department of Defense (DoD), like other federal departments, is struggling with some important problems. Pressure to manage resources more effectively is mounting, bureaucracy is slow, and business systems (like financial management and material management systems) are not working together as well as we would like them to. Interoperability, clean audit, financial visibility and common supplier engagement on a Department level are a few problems that remain elusive. Transformation of the DoD remains a top priority of the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
These problems are not new. The DoD has been wrestling with them for more than two decades. In my 20 years working with the government, a long line of leaders have stepped into the batter’s box and taken their best swings. Each time a new leader steps up to the plate, hopes run high for about two years. Again and again, the “new” leader’s ideas don’t seem to work as planned and energy fizzles. Status quo washes away most of the progress made by individuals like ocean waves wash away sand castles.
When one leader can’t seem to make things work, we usually let them run their course and install a new one. Occasionally, we get rid of them early. In either case, spirits soar once again. It is clear to everyone that the “new-new” leader is a good person and has some good things going for them. We continue to hope that each new leadership selection is the one that will take us across the goal line to real and lasting transformation.