Why “Do More with Less” is Wrong

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 »

NASA Plots IT Products Contract Solicitation Release Date

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 »

Structure in Threes: Website

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 »

CIO Council Aims for New Structure to Help Meet New Priorities

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 »

StreetCred: Why I Code for America

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 »

Your Dealer Network

I really admire the automotive manufacturers’ practice of building dealer networks. They have local coverage of buyers just when those buyers are interested in purchasing. Car manufacturers know they couldn’t get that density of coverage at scale on their own. Here’s a question. Have you ever considered building your dealer network? Well first, we’re unique.Read… Read more »

Projecting your Retirement Annuity & Survivor’s Benefit

Everyone planning their retirement needs to know how much they will have to live on in retirement and how much their spouse’s survivor benefit will be. Frank Cullen, a retired federal manager, friend, and former associate, sent me a comprehensive spreadsheet prior to my retirement that projected my annuity and survivor benefit for the nextRead… Read more »

Is Shutting Down the Federal Government Ever Justified?

August in Washington always reminds me of the proverbial calm before the storm. That is, the storm of political acrimony and legislative gridlock as the fiscal year draws to an end and appropriations bills pile up in Congress. But this year the stakes are much higher as some members of Congress are actively threatening aRead… Read more »

Posthumous Goal

A commercial on TV: the young boy walked up to home plate on an empty ball field with his bat, a ball, and a smile as he was prattling on about the world’s best hitter. He settles in at the plate and, with one more verse of world’s best hitter, tosses the ball into theRead… Read more »