Resisting the Data Act — Is OMB failing to lead on standardization and transparency?

Have you heard of the Data Act? It unanimously passed through the House and now is sitting in committee in the Senate. The legislation, “is Congress’ attempt to achieve full federal spending transparency that would build off the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board’s (RAT) success,” said Hudson Hollister the executive director of the the DataRead… Read more »

HUD and VA team up to put an end to Veteran homelessness

Some have called it a “national disgrace,” the presence of thousands of homeless veterans on American streets and in shelters. In 2010 President Obama made a strong statement, saying that his administration would end homelessness by 2015. But how do you do that? The Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs teamed upRead… Read more »

Project Management Survival Guide

Over the years, government has become more and more projectized. It’s undoubtedly a difficult task- working through culture barriers, developing a comprehensive strategy, and overcoming unforeseen (and potentially foreseen) obstacles. Even if you don’t have a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, it is still important to know the key elements of good project management. ToRead… Read more »

Is your succession plan ready for the retirement tsunami? Is open source the norm in government? And Day 2 of the RNC

On today’s program The retirement tsunami or not, succession planning is essential for any good organization. How well does the government do? We’ll get results from a new survey. Click here for the full recap. Is open source becoming the norm for government? We’ll talk to Red Hat. Click here for the full recap. AndRead… Read more »

Isaac knocks out the power at a Naval Air Base near New Orleans — 7 stories you need to know

The SEVEN stories that impact your life for Thursday the 30th of August, 2012 The winners are in for the best state and local government websites. First place winners are the state of Alabama, Orange County, Fla., and Louisville, Ky. Government Technology says the honors went to websites that demonstrated innovation, usability and maximum functionalityRead… Read more »

Making Open Source the norm for government — Red Hat’s take

Before we can talk about the virtues of open source software, we first have to define it. Red Hat’s Paul Smith says, “open source is a different way of getting software to the consumer faster. It combines collaboration, transparency and participation. The community works together to participate in code development.” Smith is the Vice PresidentRead… Read more »

Exploiting Big Data — How to make the most out of your investment

Before we can talk about making the most of big data — you have to define it. And it seem these days everyone has their own interpretation of big data. Eric Sweden is the Program Director for Enterprise Architecture & Governance at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). For Eric, “big dataRead… Read more »

Contractors could soon be forced to use federal cybersecurity requirements — 7 Stories you need to know

The SEVEN stories that impact your life for Wednesday the 29th of August Soon federal cybersecurity requirements could be extended to contractors. Fierce Government IT reports the FAR Council is proposing a change to the Federal Acquisition Regulation that would require contractors to secure computer systems that contain government information. Can you crowdsource arms control?Read… Read more »

Social Mentoring: From Telemachus to Telecommuters

This afternoon, I’m leading a webinar entitled “Using Social Learning to Mentor Agency Professionals” through an invitation from ASTD Government and The Public Manager. My slides are below. In brief, I suggest that mentoring involves three basic elements (and has since the word first appeared in Homer’s Odyssey): 1) Advice 2) Admonition 3) Assistance WhileRead… Read more »