Communications

Catching Tax Frauds, Innovation

Security clearances were granted or approved for roughly 83,000 Department of Defense (DOD) and employee contractors who together owe more than $730 million in federal tax debt, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. This bewildered many to learn that the tax cheats were working underneath the government’s own roof. One agency isRead… Read more »

Clear As Mud…

Have you ever been in a conversation where the more someone spoke, the worse it got? Where no matter how many explanations received or questions asked, the result was the same: a complete and total lack of a concise message? Yup. Clear as mud! Sometimes, I’m pretty sure it’s the speaker. Sometimes, I’m embarrassed toRead… Read more »

The Grey Tsunami Problem: Why It’s Really About Communication

The “grey tsunami” was a big topic at my agency a few years back. The expectation was that up to 70% of the agency’s workforce would take early retirement. Massive amounts of tacit knowledge would be lost. In preparation, my team attempted to “crowdsource” the knowledge of the experienced staff. We wanted to convert thatRead… Read more »

Creating Compelling Content

In the past couple months you may have heard about popular burrito chain Chipotle’s new marketing campaign. The campaign commissioned ten well-known creatives to write something that could be read in two minutes, then printed that work on the sides of nicely designed Chipotle soda cups and paper bags.The writing tapped the talents of peopleRead… Read more »

Take the Lead in Network Modernization

Achieving agency missions becomes harder and more complex every minute. But with a limited budget, many agencies are stuck between the need to deliver new services and the cost of supporting old infrastructure. To break the cycle of dependence on proprietary systems and endless service contracts, agencies need simpler, widely compatible network infrastructure that empowersRead… Read more »

Trends in Government Innovation

This post was originally published on Ideas & Execution. The role of technology and design in government is undergoing a significant change. As digital and mobile technology advance, user-centered design and open source platforms are changing from nice-to-haves to necessities in the public sector. There is growing recognition in public institutions that the slow paceRead… Read more »