Career

Innovative ways of training

I’ve been thinking about using some new ways of providing training on digital engagement stuff to those working in public services – in tandem with the traditional approach that we are taking in our workshop tomorrow. Webinars are something I’m looking into, and I’ve written about my experiences of running them previously. What I amRead… Read more »

Why Implementing the Plain Writing Act Will Take Decades

“In just a few more years, the current homogenized voice of business—the sound of mission statements and brochures—will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th century French court.” – The Cluetrain Manifesto “In just a few more years” – if only that were true. Unfortunately, this quote was written more thanRead… Read more »

The Project Management Professional (PMP) exam and Military Basic Rifle Marksmanship!

At first read, the title of this blog probably looks like a mistake, as two totally unrelated subjects appear to be illogically associated together! But bear with me, hopefully I can sell you on their similarities, at least as far as the PMP exam and project management experience go. I passed the PMP certification examRead… Read more »

SES job vacancy notice at the CDC!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking exceptional candidates for the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). This position is located in the Office of the Director in Atlanta, Georgia. The selectee will report directly to the CDC Director, serving as a key management official responsible for the development of program systemsRead… Read more »

On track to nowhere

There has been a lot of work in recent years on ways of improving the process of public consultation. It’s not something about which I have any great expertise or direct involvement, but I am conscious of great efforts to produce consultation material in forms which are not just useful and accessible themselves, but whichRead… Read more »

New York state sends out subpoenas for Monroe County’s privatized communications system

INPUT Analyst Evan Halperin reports. The New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued subpoenas to a number of individuals who are part of local development corporation (LDC) Monroe Security and Safety Systems (M3SLDC). M3SLDC was established in 2009 by Monroe County to provide public safety technology and services to county citizens. With millionsRead… Read more »

Getting Started with Project Leadership

In May of 2011 The Project Management Podcast launched its Project Leadership Series at www.pm-podcast.com. The series started with interviews with Thomas Juli, author of Leadership Principles for Project Success, and Rick Valerga, author of The Cure for the Common Project: Five Core Themes that Transform Project Managers into Leaders. More interviews and discussions onRead… Read more »

The Security Development Lifecycle (SDL)

Writing secure code is absolutely critical. It requires training, experience, education and process. In the modern world software gets very complex, and doing it securely requires a scientific approach. A discipline has arose to meet this need. In this discipline a handful of heros have arose. With this post I’d like to focus on oneRead… Read more »

Government can’t solve budget battles? Let citizens do it.

This article on participatory budgeting (PB) by Daniel Altschuler and Josh Lerner appeared in the Christian Science Monitor site on April 5, 2011. Intro text for the article: “In recent weeks, Americans have watched budget battles tear apart Congress and state governments. This may be just the beginning.” See the original article with all liveRead… Read more »

Reflections on the Training Officer’s Consortia Annual Institute

Recently I had the privilege of presenting at the Training Officer’s Consortia (TOC) Annual Institute – Making Training Sweet in Hershey, Pennsylvania and I want to share my experience with you. The Institute kicked off with a presentation from Kathryn Medina with OPM. Kathryn’s keynote address highlighted how critical it is that the next generationsRead… Read more »