Welcome to GovLoop Insights Issue of the Week with Chris Dorobek where each week, our goal is to find an issue — a person — an idea — then helped define the past 7-days… and we work to find an issue that will also will have an impact on the days, weeks and months ahead.Read… Read more »
Applying agile software development methods to IT projects has been a hot topic as of late at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The agency recently unveiled a report highlighting its 32 tips for applying agile development to help improve how the federal government will develop and implement IT infrastructure projects. Specifically, these tips focus onRead… Read more »
Providing the highest level of customer service is paramount for any industry. For the federal government – whether it’s the I.R.S or the Department of Veterans Affairs – a diverse audience of citizens, military personnel and other government employees make the requirements of good customer service more complex than in other businesses. A new bipartisanRead… Read more »
By Kimberly Leichtner, Associate Consultant (MPA ’13) For the past several months, I’ve had the pleasure of getting an inside glimpse into the jobs of state chief administrators, the public officials who oversee the administrative and general services departments that provide critical business functions for their state. Over the last few years, Fels Research &Read… Read more »
Monica Mayk Parham, Marketing Director, Market Connections, Inc. The Professional Services Council (PSC) recently hosted an event on the topic of sequestration and, for many, it was a sobering reminder that challenging times lay ahead – even if sequestration never comes to light. So what are contractors doing to prepare for these new budget realities?Read… Read more »
Next generation of Government Summit — Never Too Young to Plan – Financial Planning from TSP to Insurance Nicolas Troy Abrams, Founder, AJW Financial Partners Erin Doyle, Benefits Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs Rebecca Schreiber, Certified Financial Planner, Solid Ground Financial Planning Bobby Whiteside, Client 4 Life Insurance and Financial Services Getting your hands aroundRead… Read more »
By Sam Williford, Associate Consultant Recently, Governor Brown and the California legislature approved a bill that would allow local governments the option not to send out advance notice of public meetings, or provide minutes from closed sessions (known as the Brown Act, not related to the current governor), in an effort to stem the tideRead… Read more »
A new phased retirement option has been approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama. The Federal Employee Phased Retirement Act represents a significant change in how federal employees and agencies will plan for retirement. Employees can now take phased retirement for a few years at the end of a career. Steve LoseyRead… Read more »
By Joseph Semsar, Associate Consultant Last week, I had the pleasure of listening in on a joint conference call between the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). The call marked the first time these national organizations — which both work to make state governments moreRead… Read more »
Monica Mayk Parham, Marketing Director, Market Connections, Inc. I’ve been attending the International Open Government Data Conference, sponsored by Data.gov at the World Bank this week. We’ve seen quite a few advanced uses of open data in both domestic and international contexts. Kenya shared their open data initiative, which has steadily gained interest since itsRead… Read more »