Can Legislation Strengthen the CIO Role in Government?

The link below leads to my article with this title published in the Winter 2013 issue of FedTech Magazine.

Once again Congress is seeking to strengthen the Federal CIO position throught legislation.  The draft legislation proposed by Congressman Darryl Issa would strengthen the CIOs' authority in the areas of budgets and human resources, but it does not directly address other important characteristics of success for CIOs such as accountability, influence, management competence, and technical understanding. Will the CIO reforms proposed make a significant improvement for CIOs? Should they go further?

The Business of IT - Executive Power

Why Big Data Is Big

The article linked below was published in the Spring 2012 edition of FedTech Magazine.


Big data is a hot new trend in IT, and the Federal government is moving to put it to use. Big data can help the government become more efficient, which is key in tight budgetary times. The use of big data also holds the possibility of moving government from a "reactive" stance to a "proactive" stance, where it actually attempts to prevent wrongs versus seeking redress - a much more impactive and fundamental change. Are you tracking this trend or working to use big data? Where do you see it first being applied? What are the short and long-term barriers that stand in the way?


http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2012/04/big-data-big-deal-government

The Business of IT - Cloud's Dirty Little Secret

The article linked below was published in the Winter 2012 edition of FedTech Magazine.

Cloud computing has been a hot trend in computing over the last several years, and has been anointed a strategic initiative for the Federal government. Cloud holds great promise as a technology-based service offering that enables government to consolidate and save money as well as providing a platform for innovative new uses of technology.

To achieve the benefit of comprehensive savings and innovation, government will need to move past the "low-hanging" fruit implementations of cloud computing like email and web services and begin to redeploy agency mission systems to the cloud. This will require require major upgrades to systems, complex projects and high risk. How is your agency positioned to undertake this task? Is the journey ahead fully understood? Will government gain full advantage of cloud benefits, or just tangential returns?

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2012/02/clouds-dirty-little-secret

The Business of IT - Spin Cycle

The article linked below was published in the November 2011 edition of FedTech Magazine.

The article describes some "boorish" behaviors that sometimes emerge in the Federal IT community, for the most part resulting from the politics of Washington, DC.

Have you seen these or similar behaviors from your peers or agency leaders? What other behaviors have you seen in addition to those described here? Do these techniques "win" for those who use them, or do they backfire?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-nov-11

The Business of IT - Observations from the Field

The link below is to my article in the August 2011 edition of FedTech Magazine.

The article looks at the Obama administration's "25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Information Technology Management" in the Federal government. In doing so, I look at what the Plan accomplished - creating focus, establishing priorities - and also look at what remains to be accomplished, most importantly, implementing the Plan.

What do you think of the Plan? From your view, how well is implementation progressing? What do you think will ultimately be the results achieved and the benefits derived from this Plan?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-aug-11

The Business of IT - Facing Down the Budget Crisis

The Federal budget crisis is clearly affecting business as usual for all Federal agencies. Federal CIOs are dealing with the leading elements of the budget crisis - short-term funding and more active cross-government oversight of IT spending and projects. Federal CIOs are also in the vanguard of those addressing the Obama administration's IT reform initiative, which is largely focused on consolidation and large-project risk management.

While this crisis creates many difficulties for CIOs, in many ways IT offers the potential for addressing budget shortfalls. IT costs are steadily declining on a price/performance basis, and the CIOs have tremendous opportunity to use their IT dollars more effectively through consolidation and avoidance of duplication. Perhaps more importantly, IT also provides the capability to manage mission programs better by streamlining processes, incorporating new technologies and more fully engaging the citizenry in "self-service" delivery of government services.

Are you seeing the impacts of the budget crisis beginning to affect longer-term strategy? Are components of your agency beginning to work together more cooperatively? Is your senior leadership using the budget as a leverage to deliver meaningful change? Is your CIO organization equipped to play a bigger role in agency transformation?

http://www.slideshare.net/vtpw72/fed-tech-may-2011