Over the years, government has become more and more projectized. It’s undoubtedly a difficult task- working through culture barriers, developing a comprehensive strategy, and overcoming unforeseen (and potentially foreseen) obstacles. Even if you don’t have a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, it is still important to know the key elements of good project management. ToRead… Read more »
Do you know what I mean? Like when you are developing a product using technologies that are relatively new and totally new to your team and stakeholders. While it is fun to be learning new things, it’s damn hard to estimate effectively and stick to a schedule. Especially when the culture around you isn’t usedRead… Read more »
As many government agencies are aware, creating a strategy is a mandate, and creating and communicating an actionable strategy can make or break the performance goals of the agency or department and impact the ability to deliver on the mission. According to our marketing partner – Preactive Marketing – the phrase “strategy is…” generates roughlyRead… Read more »
On today’s program The Republican National Convention kicks off tonight — so what should feds be doing to stay out of the election crosshairs? Click here for the full recap. When we talk about open data we often talk about transparency. But the makers of OpenPlans says open government can also help you do yourRead… Read more »
This is the second post on social security. Today, we’ll explore if the program will exist down the road. (Spoiler Alert) We will have social security until 2033, even if Congress does absolutely nothing. (Quite frankly, it seems quite plausible that nothing will be done for 21 years). While it’s difficult to project exactly whenRead… Read more »
The FBI’s Sentinel project is a recently completed case study of the potential of Lean/Agile methodologies for managing government projects. “so fraught with miscommunication, incompetence and failed oversight that the entire debacle would have been a shoo-in for the most flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars since, well, ever” They were over-running and close to killingRead… Read more »
As Jerry Mechling a research vice president at Gartner Inc. and a former faculty member of the Harvard Kennedy School points out in a recent article there are three key steps to improving the performance of government: 1) Goals: Set motivating and verifiable goals for groups and the units and individuals within.2) Gaps: Measure andRead… Read more »
Normally when we bid a construction project, we don’t address in the bid documents the payment of sales tax. We do, however, indicate that the contractor is required to follow all Federal, State, and Local laws. Because of this, I would assume that on most projects, a contractor would be paying any required sales taxRead… Read more »
This crops up all the time. What’s the definition of a ‘failed project’? Look at Mars Curiosity. The program was initially budgeted at around $1.5B and came in at $2.5B for development and launch. Sure, some people question that expense, but for the most part I think they just don’t ‘get it’ on the importanceRead… Read more »
On today’s program Do vague requirements cause programs to fail? Click here for the full recap. And in the DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder: What does a VP nomination do to your number of Facebook followers. Sequestration — yes, again A trade association representing major defense contractors is projecting mass layoffs of air traffic controllers and closingsRead… Read more »