Rip Van Winkel Awakens: Does He Look Like Nicholas Cage?

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:28

We were here for the reawakening of the Administrative Conference of the U.S. and it felt like a scene out of “National Treasure.”  In fact, I keep looking around for Nicholas Cage.  Here I was, at a reception in the Great Hall of the National Archives, able to look at the originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights without standing in a line and having to continually shuffle forward under the mutterings of “please keep moving” by impatient guards.

Getting it Done: Helping New Government Leaders Succeed

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:25

In 2009, the IBM Center for The Business of Government released Getting It Done: A Guide for Government Executives as a guide for new leaders, especially new political appointees. This book helped new government executives acclimate quickly to the world of public service as practiced in Washington, D.C., and it contained a series of short strategic discussions about “dos and don’ts,” along with insights about working with key stakeholders from experienced political executives. Getting It Done was revised and reissued as a second edition in 2013.

Weekly Round Up November 18, 2016

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:22

Trump teams begin meeting with federal agencies. President-elect Donald Trump has begun to deploy transition teams in three waves to meet with federal agencies.

Leaders Speak: Dr. David Shulkin on Reforming the Delivery of Veterans Healthcare

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:20

The mission of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was borne from the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address: to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.

The Veterans Health Administration embodies that promise of a grateful nation -- providing quality health care that Veterans have earned through their service and sacrifices. Although the covenant with Veterans is immutable, healthcare evolves and so must VHA.

Does Taking the Long View Help?

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:10

In 1996, Congress mandated the Defense Department to conduct a “quadrennial defense review” (QDR) of plausible future national security scenarios and to assess the effectiveness of different mixes of resources in addressing these scenarios.  These reviews – looking 15 to 20 years into the future -- are conducted every four years to inform Defense strategic efforts. 

Learning to Share - At Scale!

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:00

Yes, the federal government launched a shared payroll services operation in 1973 – the National Finance Center – in the Department of Agriculture.  Initially, it served only Agriculture agencies.  Today, it provides payroll services and more for more than 650,000 federal employees in 170 agencies.

OMB IT Strategy: What's Different This Time?

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 10:53

As announced by OMB last Thursday and widely reported since then, the Obama Administration has issued an implementation strategy for IT reform over the next 18 months.  Much attention has been focused on key elements of the plan, including using budget authority to change or stop major IT systems, incentives for modular development of technology, improved communications among stakeholders across government and with industry and the establishment of program management as a profession; I

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