On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: 2013 was the year of cybersecurity for State government. New threats dominated the landscape. What else? Find out in our end of year retrospective with NASCIO’s Executive Director, Doug Robinson. But up front: Budget deal expected this week amounts to a cease-fire as sides move to avert standoff- House and SenateRead… Read more »
Search Results for: research
“Complicated” vs. “Complex”
Someone asked for comment, I offered it. The background: A gentleman who makes a living “reducing complexity” for IT systems keeps running into some of us on Twitter who study complexity. You can imagine the entertaining exchanges, which led to his posting these observations on his LinkedIn group. The ask: There is a group ofRead… Read more »
A Wedding and a Funeral – Reflections on a Portfolio Life
Please forgive me for having not blogged, but life should be allowed to intrude. And intrude it has this season: I officiated a planned wedding that became suddenly very interesting, and then conducted an unplanned funeral that tears at my heart still. These reminders of real life pushed aside the comparatively mundane promise of writingRead… Read more »
College Students, NASA Send CubeSats to Space
Students from four colleges worked with NASA to launch four research satellites into space Friday as the agency aims to give the academic world experience in researching and developing flight hardware. Each CubeSats deployed from their protective cases three hours after the liftoff of a a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, NASA said Friday.Read… Read more »
Weekly Round-up: December 06, 2013
This post has been updated to include Michael Keegan’s contribution. Gadi Ben-Yehuda This week, I’ve read a lot about comfort and discomfort. Creativity or Comfort: Pick One. Two articles on Slate this week seem of-a-pair: First, this one on how creativity is lauded only after it has yielded positive results, and is often quashed beforeRead… Read more »
Certainty
A popular quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin is: Nothing is certain but death and taxes. True – however, the timing of one and the amount of the other are not certain. Leaders face certainty and uncertainty when painting their vision – e.g., revenue must cover expenses for an organization to be viable, but the timingRead… Read more »
Transportation Dept Throws Doors Open on Safety Data Sets
The Transportation Department has opened more than 2,000 data sets to the public as part of efforts to fulfill federal initiatives for open data. Richard McKinney, DOT chief information officer, said Monday that department’s latest move was intended to meet a Nov. 30 deadline for President Barack Obama’s executive order on releasing information to publicRead… Read more »
Make Your Retirement Count – A Look at the November Numbers and More
The federal government has arguably one of the best retirement plans out there, but that doesn’t mean you should sit back and not pay attention. Kim Weaver is the Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. She told Chris Dorobek on the DorobekINSIDER program that November was all-in-all a great monthRead… Read more »
You Don’t Need A Consultant: 5 Tips To Improve Your Efficiency On Your Own
As a consultant, sometimes it is hard to admit when we’re not needed. In many cases, clients bring consultants in before trying to solve problems for themselves. I recently experienced this myself. With a home purchase and my destination wedding three weeks away, the government shutdown brought up mixed emotions. As a consultant, I wasn’tRead… Read more »
May the Source Be With You!
By Ilandus Swinson, Procurement Lead In a business environment where the government is expected to do more with less, the strategic sourcing process has become a resourceful approach in helping agencies reduce spending and clearly define requirements while also improving mission delivery. Strategic sourcing can be defined as a standard and formal process that incorporatesRead… Read more »