Cultivating Innovation and Service: The Greenhouse and Orchard of ACF Tech

I’ve written about my work with the US Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in prior blog posts, focusing on the combined Chief Technology Officer’s (CTO) and Chief Information Officer’s (CIO) teams — ACF Tech — the folks who work to ensure that the products, tools, and services needed by ACF are fully functional and well-supported to help meet the needs of the organization. In my work in support of the ACF Tech team, I’ve had the unique opportunity to witness firsthand how the intersection of technology and mission-driven service can profoundly impact the communities the team serves. 

At ACF, unlike the structure at many other federal agencies’ technical services teams, the CTO leads the entire technical team (ACF Tech), with the CIO reporting to the CTO. The CTO’s direct team is focused outward, developing new tools and services, creating new partnerships, with an eye toward anticipating future needs of the organization. Conversely, the CIO leads a team focused inward, delivering the technical products and services the agency needs to meet their mission obligations today. This arrangement is valuable to the organization as it makes for a more responsive and agile organization.  

However, this arrangement has created a bit of an “us and them” orientation which focuses on the differences as opposed to the complements of this type of organization. With an eye toward remedying this situation, I want to share a better way of framing it — a metaphorical framework that captures the essence of our journey and aspirations within ACF Tech. Imagine, if you will, a greenhouse and an orchard, two vital ecosystems that, while distinct, work in harmony to cultivate growth, resilience, and abundance. I am using this metaphor to help untangle the “us and them” thinking so that we can better deliver on ACF’s mission.

The Greenhouse: A Space for Nurturing Innovation

In this metaphor, our CTO’s team represents the greenhouse. A place of warmth, light and growth, where seeds of ideas are carefully planted in fertile ground. Here, innovation thrives under the meticulous care of our team, where new services, offerings, and tools are nurtured. Like a greenhouse, this space is about potential — the start of something that, with the right conditions, can flourish beyond its initial confines. It’s about creating a protected environment where experimentation is encouraged, and failure is seen as a steppingstone to success. This is where we push the boundaries of what’s possible, developing the next generation of services and tools that will advance our mission and serve our communities more effectively.

The Orchard: Where Ideas Bear Fruit

Transitioning from the greenhouse, the CIO’s team embodies the orchard. If the greenhouse is about potential, the orchard is about realization.  Here, the nurtured plants from the greenhouse are transplanted into open soil, where they can grow to maturity. It’s the operational powerhouse where services are scaled, optimized, and integrated into the fabric of ACF Tech’s offerings. The orchard is where consistency, reliability, and efficiency are paramount — qualities that ensure our “plants” grow strong and provide the necessary “fruit and vegetables” our customers depend on. This is the stage where our innovations become part of the everyday, seamlessly supporting the work we do and the people we serve.

A Symbiotic Relationship

The beauty of the greenhouse/orchard metaphor lies in its illustration of a symbiotic relationship. The success of the orchard is dependent on the quality and variety of plants nurtured in the greenhouse, and the greenhouse’s efforts are realized fully only when its plants thrive in the orchard. Together, they represent a complete lifecycle of innovation and service delivery — two halves of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Operationalization: Orchard Readiness

Central to my greenhouse/orchard metaphor is the pivotal stage of “readiness to plant,” a concept that resonates deeply with our mission at ACF Tech. This stage signifies the moment a product, service, or idea transitions from being a nurtured seedling within the protected environment of the greenhouse (the CTO’s realm of innovation) to a robust plant capable of thriving in the orchard (the operational domain of the CIO’s team). “Readiness to plant” embodies the rigorous process of operationalization, where our offerings are refined, tested, and validated to ensure they are ready to meet the real-world needs of our customers. It marks a product’s journey from concept to reality, ensuring it is not only innovative but also practical, scalable, and aligned with the values and objectives of ACF Tech. Not all plants in the greenhouse are ready to move to the orchard — some may never go. By emphasizing this stage, we commit to delivering services and products that are not just visionary but are also immediately beneficial and accessible to the communities we serve, thus fulfilling our overarching goal of nurturing innovation that makes a difference.

ACF Tech: A Unified Vision for the Future

By embracing this metaphor, ACF Tech symbolizes our commitment to innovation, quality, and service delivery, breaking down the “us and them” to form a unified “we.” It serves as a reminder that every idea and every service we develop is part of a larger ecosystem designed to support and enhance the lives of those we serve. It encourages us to see beyond the immediate, to nurture with care, and to anticipate the needs of tomorrow.

As we move forward, I am hopeful that the team will carry this vision with them, mindful of the roles we play within this ecosystem, whether we’re tending to the young shoots in the greenhouse or ensuring the health of our orchard. Together, as ACF Tech, we are not just cultivating technology; we are cultivating hope, opportunity, and support for every individual and community we touch.

Todd Hager is Vice President of Strategic Advisory for Macro Solutions, providing leadership in strategy, innovation, modernization, and team enablement. His work has been instrumental within HHS starting with the COVID response, working closely with the HHS, ACF, and ARPA-H CIOs to plan for and modernize the infrastructure and teams, while helping to develop agile, “service-forward” orientations within and between teams.

Todd is the Industry Chair for the ACT-IAC Emerging Technology Community of Interest (COI) and is a 2021 Federal 100 Award winner. He is a certified PMP, a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), ITIL v3 certified and CMMI v2 certified.