I wanted to get your attention with that metaphor: a vampire sucking blood for speakers, presenters and trainers sucking the energy out their audience or trainees and using it by transforming that “blood” energy into life giving nervous energy. University speech students always want to take on the audience that’s already on their side whenRead… Read more »
By Craig Taylor, Senior Analyst The original implementation of DoD’s “Better Buying Power” initiative heavily promoted the use of Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract types. Many federal agencies adopted this approach with the intent to control costs and limit the Government’s risk exposure on acquisitions. This does not remove risk from the acquisition itself, andRead… Read more »
What happens to our brains after death? We remain fascinated with our own brains – and perhaps equally fascinated with our demise. “And we wonder how it will feel.” – Karla Bonoff I recall being somewhat traumatized as a child by reading about people buried alive in prior centuries. True or not ( likely not),Read… Read more »
I saw a post on Facebook this morning that I really liked. Somebody put up a little note saying that as your kids go back to school, to have a talk with them. Tell them that if they see somebody who is shy, or not fitting in, or kind of on the outside, to takeRead… Read more »
For government managers faced with restrained budgets, hiring freezes, and new mandates, the pressure to do more with existing resources has gained widespread traction. “Wrong” is a bit of an overstatement, but for one government leader, the notion of “doing more with less” misses a central point. Last week, Rafael Borras, Under Secretary for ManagementRead… Read more »
By Jim Sywilok, Agilex The first time I encountered the term Kanban came when I attended my Scrum Master Certification class and I saw a slide depicting all of the different agile methodologies. Although I later became familiar with the other software development methodologies such as XP and Test-Driven Development to name a few, KanbanRead… Read more »
NASA plans to release a final solicitation for a government-wide procurement contract covering information technology products and services on or around Aug. 12, FCW reported Friday. Mark Rockwell writes the agency originally scheduled the release date in May for NASA’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement V program. The later date is intended to give SEWP IVRead… Read more »
Reading through Office 365 documentation this morning while I download Visio to my desktop. A long list of options to choose from and some combinations that one questions, but I’m not the typical business user in that I build many of the tools I need out of the entire office suite. Too bad they don’tRead… Read more »
The federal Chief Information Officers Council has restructured its committees with the goal of fulfilling the government’s technology requirements, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday. Jason Miller writes the reorganization aims to equip CIOs with tools and guidance in order to meet the federal government’s priorities and address technology trends. Miller reports the council trimmed theRead… Read more »
This post is part of a series to celebrate the Code for America Accelerator companies. I’ve been in public service for 18 years, and because I work for a Department of Public Safety, I am fortunate enough to be triple-certified as a police officer, a firefighter and an Emergency Medical Technician. In my career, I’veRead… Read more »