Project Management

What’s your contracting legacy?

Federal managers, especially those involved in procurements, say that they want to have a lasting impact and leave their organizations better off than before they came. Most start out with grand plans, an open mind, and a real desire to make positive changes. But then something happens… The change is much harder than they realized,Read… Read more »

Workarounds as Evidence of Broken Processes

I work for a culture (the Air Force) that prides itself on innovation and a mission-first approach. However, in a long-term work project involving process mapping and process design for an internal customer, I’ve also noticed a culture of workarounds driven by several factors: 1) obsolete yet required forms; 2) lack of concrete guidance fromRead… Read more »

Making Gov Innovations Matter – Plus the 7 gov stories you need to know

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Workforce = mission. If you don’t have the right people it is a recipe for disaster. But getting the recipe right is a huge challenge. So how do you make it work? Insights from the Government Accountability Office. You can find all of our programs online: DorobekINSIDER.com and GovLoop Insights atRead… Read more »

Open Source Myths and Software as a Renewable Resource

This is the first installment in a two-part series on open source software (OSS) for enterprise IT. The second installment features an open source success story in the New York Senate. “The leading innovation in software development today is actually happening in the open source community.” – Adam Clater, Red Hat, Inc. Last week IRead… Read more »

Do Workforce Challenges Create A Mission Impossible for Gov?

“Workforce = mission. If you don’t have the right people it is a recipe for disaster,” said Goldenkoff. But hiring and retaining top talent has been a big problem for government. The Government Accountability Office looked at workforce challenges in their new report, “Recent Trends in Federal Civilian Employment and Compensation. Robert Goldenkoff is theRead… Read more »

Throwback Thursday: What Employers Can Learn From the Principles of Olympism

Originally Posted by Mark Stelzner on August 11, 2008 at 6:57pm In watching coverage of the games last evening, my wife and I were discussing the overwhelming complexity involved in managing and deploying the Olympics. With so many nations each carrying such unique agendas and goals, what overarching principles are applied to such a multifacetedRead… Read more »

Tech As An Accessory, Wearable – Plus the Seven Gov Stories You Need To Know

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Spending in the federal government is down. Sequestration has put a serious drain on many agency resources, but could the money squeeze actually create a breeding ground for innovation? We get answers in part two of our interview with NARA’s first Chief Innovation Officer, Pamela Wright. You can find all ofRead… Read more »

A Debt Deal Done? Plus the Seven Gov Stories You Need To Know

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Innovation is one of those Rorschach terms, where innovation means different things to different people. Even amongst Chief Innovation Officers the role of innovation at an agency can vary greatly. So what really makes an innovative program? Pamela Wright is the first ever Chief Innovation Officer at NARA. We uncover herRead… Read more »

All Eyes on the Debt Ceiling – Plus the Seven Gov Stories You Need to Know

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Time is running short for Congress to raise the nation’s borrowing limit — the Treasury Department says it will run out of spending authority by Feb. 27. One of the ways the government can buy time during a default is to borrow from the G-Fund. But what does that mean forRead… Read more »

Government Turns To Entrepreneurs & StartUps For Products/Services

As the U.S. recovers steadily from the most recent recession, confidence in the nation’s economy is growing among small business owners who foresee steady growth in the next few years, as monitored by the database of government contracts. In 2012, 22.25% of federal government contracting dollars went to small business, just short of the annualRead… Read more »