Room for Improvement

My article posted here was published in the Fall 2013 edition of FedTech Magazine.

IT projects have had, at best, a spotted history in terms of success. While technology has, without question, added great value to our standards of living and created great wealth for individuals and communities, many individual projects have failed miserably. At the same time, projects dealing with the construction of real property seem much less prone to failure. Are there lessons to be learned here? What is missing in the Federal approach? Is PortfolioStat making any difference?

Business of IT: Room for Improvement

Thin Value

My article posted here was publishd in the Summer 2013 edition of FedTech Magazine. 

Thin clients offer a number of benefits as end-user replacements for PCs, including lower cost, longer useful life, enhanced security, improved mobility. In today's cloud-based computing environment, why haven't more Federal agencies implemented thin clients as their primary end-user platforms?

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2013/08/business-case-thin-clients-clear-and-positive

The Business of IT - Find the Right Focus

The partisan environment in Washington has resulted in a near paralysis of logical decision making. The sequestration is just the latest, perhaps most egregious, example. Is this the best our leaders can do? What will it take to change things for the better? How should CIOs and other Federal executives execute their missions under these conditions? Follow the link below to my article in the latest edition of FedTech Magazine for more on this subject.

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2013/04/how-agencies-can-handle-their-budget-challenges

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

Surviving Budget Chaos

The link below leads to my article with this title published in the November 2012 issue of FedTech Magazine.

For Federal CIOs, the pending sequestration, if implemented, will cause significant turmoil in funding agency IT operations and programs. But even if the sequestration is avoided, cutting Federal costs will be a key action area in moving towards a more balanced budget and reducing the deficit. How will Federal executives fare as they tackle this issue? Can CIOs effectively position IT as a significant tool for delivering efficiency?

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2012/10/how-survive-budget-chaos

The Business of IT - A Tale of Two Strategies

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

Developing a strategy to progress towards a desired end result is just one component of a successful program. Crafting plans and successfully implementing those plans are equally critical. In my Summer 2012 column in FedTech Magazine, I evaluated two recent strategies issued by the Federal CIO to assess the likelihood of their success. What do you think? To what degree will the Federal government be successful in implementing the shared services and mobile computing strategies released earlier this year?

http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2012/07/finding-right-it-strategies

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