Using IoT to Drive Government Productivity

“Why should I put a sensor on my toaster?” asked Daniel Castro, Vice President of Information Technology at the Innovation Foundation, and Director of the Center for Data Innovation. “You probably shouldn’t,” he answered. For an Internet of Things (IoT) evangelist, this answer was a surprising one. How could he deny that a connected toasterRead… Read more »

The Art of Conquering a Workplace Transition

In the seminal military treatise, The Art of War, author Sun Tzu writes, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” This maxim holds true during workplace transitions. Change for Govies is constant, taking on varying forms. Whether it’s a system upgrade, turnover, reorganization, or downsizing, it is bound to happen at your agency.Read… Read more »

Strategic Federal Human Capital Management – Employee Engagement

Acendre’s blueprint for improving federal employee engagement utilizes data and people analytics to augment the “people interaction” piece of employee engagement. People analytics allows agencies to glean the information that spots trends, identifies opportunities and calls out problem areas for correction. A key area of focus and expertise for Acendre is business intelligence and analytics… Read more »

Current Change & Future Vision for Open Data

Open data not only promises needed innovation and government reform, but also unique business opportunities benefiting government and private sector entities alike. Government is not the only driver of data transformation. Grassroots innovators working in specific information areas like geospatial, initiated most open data transformations. These efforts were aided by President Obama’s 2013 Open DataRead… Read more »

The Exit Interview: What It Is and Why You Should Do It

Attracting and retaining talent is a challenge for many public sector organizations, especially in light of an aging workforce and an upsurge of retirees. One effective method to uncover the reasons employees jump ship, be it to the private sector or elsewhere in the public sector, is the exit interview. What is an exit interview?Read… Read more »

7 Words That Demystify Office Politics

In my recent posting on ‘ceiling diplomacy‘ I gave names to elements of office dynamics. Below I‘ve provided a list of additional words that fit the bill. The below terms, definitions and usage will help you communicate your frustrations about office politics more effectively. 1) me-signments (noun) – Assignments you’ve taken upon yourself (i.e., FamilyRead… Read more »

Yay or Nay on Feedback USA?

For four years, many have been eagerly awaiting cross-agency action on President Obama’s 2011 executive order streamlining service delivery and improving customer service. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently launched the pilot of Feedback USA to help agencies meet that goal. But, does Feedback USA look like it’s going to be worth the wait? Feedback USA is adding customerRead… Read more »

Is That Really A Problem?

During my time as a GovLoop fellow, I have written 20 blogs about Esri’s geospatial innovations. And if you ask any of my coworkers they would probably think that number is actually small because of how much of a map nerd I am. I love to research and write about how maps are used toRead… Read more »