Hi everyone – It’s your govloop weekly dose of TSP Talk from www.tsptalk.com. Another wild week on Wall Street as a strong GDP (gross domestic product) report for the 3rd quarter helped spark a 200-point rally on Thursday, but a weaker than expected Consumer Sentiment report, some less than exciting earnings reports, and a threatRead… Read more »
This is the first of a two-part post about Software as a Service (SaaS) for performance management. In the first part I’ll provide an introduction to SaaS, define what it is and touch on some of its applications to performance management. In the second part I’ll detail the various benefits of SaaS including but notRead… Read more »
Who would argue the fact that flour, that white powder made from ground-milled wheat, is critically important to our way of life? But despite the fact that there is flour in just about every food pantry in the planet, there are few people who would voluntarily scoop up a handful and shove it in theirRead… Read more »
Phil Bertolini, Deputy County Executive/Chief Information Officer for Oakland County, Michigan, is a new member to GovLoop. Phil released a book in June 2009 called “IT Budgeting and Decision Making: Maximizing Your Government’s Technology Investments” that he co-edited with Shayne Kavanagh. Check out the brief interview with Phil about the book below: 1) What wasRead… Read more »
by Sophicity At the end of April 2009, a computer hacker managed to steal over 8.2 million personal records from the State of Virginia’s Prescription Monitoring Program, containing information such as social security and driver’s license numbers. Along with the stolen data, the hacker reportedly erased all of the State’s database backups, leaving no wayRead… Read more »
As a long time Federal Manager, I am constantly amazed by the lack of recognition that our front line managers receive. Front line managers are charged with carrying out the policies and meeting the goals of their Executives and with directing, developing and evaluating their subordinates. But far too little effort is spent on providingRead… Read more »
It’s almost impossible to be around technology people for very long before one of them uses the words “Mashup,” “SOA” or “Cloud Computing.” When this happens to me, I usually smile and spend at least some of the time wondering why the audio portion of my brain disconnected again. Maybe it’s distracted by my visualRead… Read more »
In late 2007, the TSP announced that they would be implementing restrictions to the number of interfund transfers you can make in your Thrift Savings Plan account. We went from unlimited transfers, to two per month. I feel very strongly that one more transfer per month might actually work. Two is not always enough. RightRead… Read more »
By Sophicity. The 17th century saw the widespread introduction of domesticated cows to North American shores by English settlers. However, over the next century it became clear that while the cows were docile and produced good milk and meat, they were not particularly well suited to the harsh winters of the New World and consumedRead… Read more »
In May of 2005, the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) released a memorandum to all Federal Chief Acquisition, Information and Financial Officers announcing the onset of a Strategic Sourcing initiative. The memo required all agencies identify no fewer than three commodities “that could be purchased more effectively and efficientlyRead… Read more »