Weekly Roundup: November 11-15, 2024

Submitted by on Fri, 11/15/2024 - 11:44
Friday, November 15, 2024
Michael J. Keegan
Articles & insights of interest in public management & leadership for the week ending November 15, 2024

Technology Management

GAO: Agencies Failing key FITARA IT Management Requirements.  A new report out by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that federal agencies are failing to fully address the key statutory requirements for portfolio management in the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). Portfolio review was a staple grading category on the FITARA Scorecard until the program underwent a makeover in categories in February, ultimately nixing portfolio review for agencies after eight years and 16 scorecards. The report found that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is not fully addressing eight key statutory requirements for FITARA. Specifically, for IT portfolio reviews, the federal chief information officer (CIO) is failing to conduct an annual review with each agency’s CIO. The report also found that OMB is failing in all three categories of high-risk IT investment reviews.

Artificial Intelligence

DHS Unveils Guidance for use of AI in Critical Infrastructure.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a set of voluntary recommendations for the secure development and deployment of AI for organizations at each layer of the AI supply chain: cloud providers, AI developers, and critical infrastructure owners – as well as the civil society and public sector. The “Roles and Responsibilities Framework for AI in Critical Infrastructure” was developed by DHS’s AI Safety and Security Board, which is made up of two dozen private and public sector partners including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar.

FAA Wants AI Tool to Improve Aviation Safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking input from industry on next-generation safety and non-safety analytics capabilities, including the use of AI for “deep analysis” to “generate actionable insights.”

Data

DoD Prioritizes Data Federation for FY2027 Goal. The Department of Defense (DoD) is prioritizing data federation to help ensure that defense components and military services meet the department’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 Zero Trust goal, a senior Pentagon tech official said today.

Innovation

VA Proposes New Program to Expand Telehealth for Rural Veterans. This Veterans Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is proposing a new program that would fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on expanding telehealth access in rural and medically underserved communities.

Presidential Transition

Martorana Offers Transition Tips; Myklegard in Line for Acting CIO Role. Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Clare Martorana confirmed today that she will step down from her post prior to the Trump administration taking over the reins of government on Jan. 20, and that Deputy Federal CIO Drew Myklegard will remain in place at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as acting Federal CIO after that.

Preparing for 47 - Tracking the Trump transition. Stay up to date on the presidential transition with Federal News Network, including the latest on Schedule F, appointees and more.

Postal Service Management

USPS reports $9.5B net loss in FY 2024, does not expect to hit ‘break even’ goal next year.   The Postal Service is reporting a deeper financial loss than it’s seen in recent years, and is calling on Congress and the incoming Trump administration to address rising costs that are beyond its control.  USPS reported a $9.5 billion net loss for fiscal 2024, despite year-over-year growth in revenue and a reduction in its controllable expenses. The agency saw a $6.5 billion loss in FY 2023.

DoD

Suicides among military personnel go up again in 2023.  The number of suicides among military personnel increased again in 2023, according to the Defense Department’s annual report on suicide released Thursday. The long-term trend of rising military suicides has been a persistent issue that the Pentagon said it plans to address with additional funding in 2025. In 2023, 523 service members died by suicide, an increase from 493 suicide deaths in 2022. The number of active duty service members who died by suicide went up from 331 deaths in 2022 to 363 in 2023. 

Leadership

How 3 Companies Are Using AI to Mimic Expert Judgement. Advanced AI is facilitating the transfer of expertise from humans to machines and back to humans like never before. This article examines three cases of where this has occurred and suggests how these advances in technology could boost the effectiveness of your decision making to improve competitiveness.

How to Navigate a Leadership Transition. Leadership transitions are challenging for both organizations and the leaders who must directly navigate them. But Michael Watkins says they’re also a time of incredible opportunity — especially for those leaders who understand how to handle this crucial period. Watkins is a professor of leadership and organizational change at IMD Business School. He shares a framework for selecting a transition strategy that best matches the situation you’re facing — whether you’re building a new operation from scratch or trying to turnaround a business in crisis.

To Become a Better Presenter, Look Inward. It’s much easier to change and improve how we communicate when we understand why we speak and behave the way we do. That’s why the most effective presenters and communicators often have a strong sense of their identities, and a level of self-awareness acquired through reflecting on their beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral patterns. To become more aware of our own communication styles, and how they change due to context, you can do some inner work.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

NEW REPORTS

Resilience in action: Crisis leadership through innovation, collaboration, and human-centered solutions by Challenge Grant Case Study Recipients. This report presents four case studies from around the world that demonstrate how innovative strategies, and strong partnerships can enhance preparedness.

RECENT BLOGS 

ICYMI – Patient-centered and Mission ready. This week Michael Keegan welcomed Lt. General Telita Crosland, M.D., director of the Defense Health Agency to discuss her efforts leading DHA, integrating the military health system, and outline a patient-centered, mission ready approach.