For this week’s comment I wanted to share with you my latest blog post that was first published on the Federal Times’ Acquisition Blog (www.federaltimes.com) on May 16, 2014. The Multiple Award Double-Standard, Part II April’s blog focused on the Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy’s (DPAP’s) double standard regarding the treatment of orders under theRead… Read more »
Do you have a creative and effective government program or initiative, or know of one that deserves recognition? If so, there is still time to submit an application for the Innovations in American Government Award. Administered by the Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School, the Award is given to programs that serve as examples ofRead… Read more »
I wrote last week about the more automated kinds of feedback so here are some thoughts and ideas on direct user feedback. There are a number of approaches that we have followed so far: Usability testing In March we ran two days of user testing with people who use the NAO website. Many people wouldRead… Read more »
Gov.uk set an example and others followed In 2012, the Government Digital Service team launched a new home for the Cabinet of the United Kingdom replacing two sites: directgov and business link, and it was truly simple. No unnecessary imagery, homepage flashiness or marketing ploys. On gov.uk, you find information related to government services, andRead… Read more »
We are happy to share the announcement below from NCDD organizational member and NCDD Catalyst Award winner John Spady of the National Dialogue Network. John’s announcement came via our great Submit-to-Blog Form. Do you have news you want to share with the NCDD network? Just click here to submit your news post for the NCDDRead… Read more »
“Now, try not to be overwhelmed by all this technology,” Joan tells new secretary Peggy Olson, showing her to a Selectric typewriter in the series opening of Mad Men. While humorous to the viewer, actual secretaries in the 1960s had a substantial learning curve when getting a new and improved typewriter. Since then, things haveRead… Read more »
One of my favorite leadership experts, Robin Sharma, proposes an interesting theory called “Leading without a title.” Sharma uses this concept to explain a new model of leadership versus the old model. The old model of leadership was based on command and control. It was believed that change and real impact could only be broughtRead… Read more »
Gadi Ben-Yehuda What eGov can learn from eHarmony? The New York Times posted a very interesting article, “Who Wants Free Love Anyway?” My biggest take-away: “while the Internet may have democratized information — making it seemingly easier for any of us to sell an apartment or find a spouse on our own — we nowRead… Read more »
When going on holiday and handing over a social media account or talking to a new member of staff, I’ll often show a rough ‘how to deal with people on social media guide’. I hope you, or someone in your team, will find this flow chart is handy. If you think it’s useful, you canRead… Read more »
Some government research programs place a large emphasis on product development. At the same time, as government employees, we must be very careful not to appear to endorse any particular company or product. How can we reconcile these two concepts? One thing that probably doesn’t surprise you about being a government employee is that weRead… Read more »