Weekly Round-up: April 18, 2014

The Center is pleased to release the Spring 2014 The Business of Government magazine. This edition of The Business of Government magazine underscores the importance of correlating short-term decision-making with long-range consequences. We highlight the latest trends and best practices for improving government effectiveness by introducing you to key government executives, detailing the work of public management practitioners, and offering insights from leading academics.

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

• Your Phone Is the Kiosk.  Palo Alto, Calif., Expedites Permit and Inspection Process through Apps.  Government Technology reports that "Using a variety of apps, such as Civic Insight depicted above, and cloud technology, Palo Alto has updated its permit and inspection process, cutting wait times and streamlining communications."
• Where No Government Has Gone Before? Famously, Google wants to build the Star Trek Computer. Now, Amazon may be designing just such a system. (Microsoft, with its Xbox One and 2013 purchase of R2 is another contender).  Couple these developments with the launch of Enigma, an "open data platform with current access to almost 70,000 datasets, from U.S. and international sources," and the ability to write code for (i.e. hack) the Kinect (as but one exaple) and you'll see major implications for mobile government.
• Speaking of Hacking: Aneesh Chopra, the US's first Chief Technology Officer is the interview subject of "Hacking The Federal Government: Lessons From The Nation’s First CTO"

John Kamensky

• Moneyball Government Taken to New Level. David Bornstein, New York Times, asks: “Can Government Play Moneyball?” in an article about the evolution of the recent trend in evidence-based policies in the federal government.  He writes: “The 2014 budget included new funding for programs that demonstrably boost college attainment and graduation rates for low-income students, reduce recidivism and improve teacher training.”  He also notes that the 2015 budget more than doubles some programs that have an evidence-based focus.
• Intel Agencies Learning to Share.  Jared Serbu, Federal News Radio, reports that the “Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says much of the groundwork has been laid, and it is now time to start deploying the project known as ICITE, a common IT environment for the entire intelligence community.”  As a result, 17 agencies will begin to migrate to a shared services platform, at least for common mission-support activities.
• USDA Mobility Management Initiative. William Jackson, Government Computer News, reports that “The Agriculture Department has rolled out a departmentwide mobility management service, providing its agencies with options for managing and securing smartphones and tablets in the workplace, whether government-issued or personally owned. . . . Launched in March, the service now has 9,000 devices under management and is designed to scale up to 100,000 devices.”
• Plan to Fix Security Clearance Process.  Jack Moore, Federal News Radio, writes that OMB says that in the coming months, the federal government will release a detailed plan for implementing more than a dozen recommendations to improve the security clearance process, based on a 120-day study ordered by President Obama in the wake of the Navy Yard shooting earlier this year.
• Enough Pilots for Unmanned Drones?  GAO has released a largely-unreported report with understated implications:  “Actions Needed to Strengthen Management of Unmanned Aerial System Pilots.”  The report notes:  “Air Force guidance states that low crew ratios diminish combat capability and cause flight safety to suffer, but the Air Force has operated below its optimum crew ratio and it has not established a minimum crew ratio.”   Hmmmm . . . .
• VA iPad Pilot.  Nicole Blake Johnson, Federal Times, writes that the Veterans Health Administration is giving iPads to disabled veterans and their caregivers in an effort to reduce the need for hospitalization and increase lines of communication between veterans, caregivers, and VA healthcare staff.

Michael Keegan

DHA builds a healthier DoD workforce through shared services
From health records to rubber gloves, the Defense Health Agency is streamlining health care at the Pentagon.

OMB: Plan for implementing security clearance fixes coming soon
The government's recommendations call for "continuous evaluation" of clearance holders and strengthened oversight of the background investigation process.

Intel agencies ready to start deploying shared IT systems
After two years of planning, the intelligence community is ready to start deploying the set of common IT services that make up the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise (ICITE). 

Inside the Reporter's Notebook: OMB not a farm team; strategic sourcing on steroids
In this edition, Executive Editor Jason Miller ponders Sylvia Burwell's jump from OMB to HHS and GSA's pumped up approach to buying

Treasury figuring out how the shared services pieces fit into governmentwide puzzle
In part 3 of our special report, Beth Angerman, director of Treasury's Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation (OFIT), said the goal is creating a repeatable, sustainable process for agencies to move to federal financial management providers

The Business of Government Radio Show: Satish Nambisan

The Business of Government Hour features a conversation about management with a government executive who is changing the way government.

Is the emerging vision of government as a platform too farfetched and unrealistic? Or does it portend a new era of citizen engagement in public service innovation? What are the distinct roles for citizens in public service co-creation and problem-solving? Are there strategies for creating an environment for co-creation? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions with the Satish Nambisan, co-author of "Engaging Citizens in Co-Creation in Public Services."

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Wednesday at noon, on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org and by searching our audio archives.