Federal Information Technology Roadmap for ReformFederal Information Technology Roadmap for ReformFITRR_d53afb25-84c3-4238-8177-ae249257522aFederal IT spending can strengthen the American economy by a targeted strategy that leverages the force of federal government spending, engages industry, encourages innovation, and produces early victories that sustain political capital and momentum._c1d298b5-759f-46cb-8864-460e509c07d3To develop a strategy for managing the government’s IT investments in a manner that promotes and strengthens the competitiveness of the U.S. IT industry._3f4f7808-a0af-429d-8935-f2ba75828b6fIT Investment and the EconomyHarness the impact of the government’s IT investment on the U.S. economy_6228312f-2120-4ea3-8d92-dc807b97bc8f1View the government as an enterprise whose IT investment portfolio can drive policy priorities as a National Strategy. The Strategy can define and capture desired results.Leadership and ConsensusProvide Leadership to Build Consensus for a National Strategy_8a04b225-5072-4185-a608-681c04f8bd752Through a collaborative process that includes the key constituencies - Congress, Executive Branch senior leaders, and the private sector IT industry- a new senior IT leader should be responsible for creating and executing a national investment strategy to spur private sector competitiveness and innovation. Visible presidential support will be critical to focus attention and to bring together key stakeholders. Presidential commitment is best demonstrated by assigning the responsibility to a senior IT leader within the Executive Office of the President, with access to the President. A “seat at the table” of the White House Policy Councils will also assure a crisp focus on desired priorities. The new senior IT leader must have the authority to work proactively with industry, influence agencies’ spending, and the ability to compel agencies to coordinate for broader benefit. Existing offices with IT management responsibilities, including those within OMB, GSA, Commerce, and departmental CIOs, should report to the new senior IT leader on a “dotted line” basis, to meet the needs of the “whole.”Management ImprovementsEnsure investments in internal IT management improvements are consistent with the national strategy_09477887-80b6-43dc-9d90-9e4967760eb53Internal management improvements underpin the ability to implement a national strategy. The companion paper, “Returning Innovation to the Federal Government with Information Technology”, elaborates on a proposal for reform.Expectations and MetricsSet expectations and establish metrics_da212fa0-a1f1-4d98-8095-69a3049b92734The goal must be to ensure economic growth and stability through U.S. leadership in key aspects of the IT marketplace. The new senior IT leader should report annually to Congress and the President on objective measurements that indicate the impact of the strategy on the economy. Primary focus areas should include job creation/retention, new technologies created, new businesses created, and new investment dollars attracted to the U.S. IT industry. These measurements should include definition and assessment of appropriate levels of risk and innovation in the overall IT investment portfolio.High-Reward InvestmentsIdentify high reward investment areas_6c30e20d-bd25-49fa-b2ac-9de8bb40957b5Opportunities to tune federal IT spending to the National Strategy exist throughout the current federal IT investment portfolio. One element of the strategy should be broad-based improvement in fostering innovation. The strategy should favor IT investments that offer a significant impact on economic growth and stability. Early victories are essential to sustain political capital and momentum to drive change.Rationalization and RedirectionRationalize and Redirect Investments to Achieve Greater Benefit_a9d2a0c5-f64e-4833-a93d-dfba7d7da8c96Significant parts of the federal IT infrastructure present tremendous opportunities to achieve economies of scale. These include standardization and consolidation of fundamental IT building blocks, such as, data centers, networks, administrative applications, desktop systems, and help desks.. As an example, the consolidation of data centers presents an opportunity to stimulate a segment of the IT industry that is rapidly moving offshore. Federal “mega centers” would concentrate more processing power in a single facility than currently exists, providing the impetus to push the state of the art. This suggests the prospect for establishment of a national center of excellence in data center management. By creating these mega centers in economically challenged areas of the country, the government could also encourage technology companies to invest in building the skilled labor base necessary to attract further investment to the area. Savings from this consolidation could be invested in other technology areas.InclusionDrive change through inclusion - Work more closely with Industry and communities_3d7639f5-be46-411d-90c3-fb85a6e119997The private sector provides nearly 90% of the government’s technology workforce. This workforce is a ripe source for improvement and innovation in government. For example, collaboration between government and industry could be focused on solutions across organizational boundaries to accelerate problem solving and reduce overall costs. Acquisition processes designed to uphold public policy and socio-economic goals have defined the relationship with industry. As implemented, acquisition processes often discourage novel approaches and measured risk sharing. For example, the processes for defining requirements that result in Requests for Proposals impact the proposal submissions, often discouraging companies from introducing innovative ideas or taking on increased risk/reward scenarios. Injecting increased market research before specifying and acquiring a new system can serve to drive acquisition of more innovative solutions at reduced risk. The government needs to address how it will ensure a strong IT base across a range of dimensions – such as company size, technology areas, and competencies – to ensure future innovation from and global competitiveness of the IT industry. Broader definition of the relationship with industry beyond acquisition could unleash a tremendous source of energy welcomed both in government and industry. New models of collaboration and inclusion are driving change everywhere, and calls for a re-definition of leadership and governance. For example, the District of Columbia had an open competition for software applications to improve District services, with a substantial financial reward for the winner. As a result, DC now has 46 new, working applications, all for $50k given to the winner. Consider the possibilities of increasing open access to non-sensitive and non-personally identifiable information and offering incentives that unleash ingenuity for the public good.Workforce SkillsEnhance the skills of the government’s IT and management workforce_538a504d-1744-4f18-87a2-4ec015f23c7e8The role of government’s IT and management workforce to drive change calls for expert technical, management and collaboration skills. The government’s IT strategy must specify the critical skills needed to successfully implement the National Strategy, and then offer the means to develop these skills with urgency. The strategy must include essential senior executive skills development necessary to oversee and nurture the technology investments at the agency and department levels.2008-12-112010-02-08http://www.actgov.org/actiac/documents/pdfs/TSG%20_%20IT_as_Strategic_Weapon_12_11.pdfArthurColman (www.drybridge.com)colman@drybridge.com