Weekly Roundup for July 29, 2016

Michael J. Keegan

VA and VistA: Can they be fixed? The Department of Veterans Affairs is rushing to make changes to its IT infrastructure and systems before the next administration enters the White House. And skeptical lawmakers, oversight bodies and outside experts are cautiously optimistic about the eventual outcomes.

DOD unveils Boston innovation hub. The Defense Department officially opened its second experimental tech unit, DIUx 2.0, in Boston, while announcing a faster agile tech development capability and new prototype work. Although the Pentagon's Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) in Boston has been working on a number of technology development efforts for the last 75 days, Defense Secretary Ash Carter Secretary Carter officially opened the facility on July 26.

Federal digital transformation: What's next for USDS and 18F? Due in part to the scarcity of digital talent inside government and the pressures to move quickly, the General Services Administration created 18F in spring 2014 -- now part of GSA's Technology Transformation Service (TTS) -- and the White House launched the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) in late summer of that year. Although 18F and USDS operate somewhat differently, both foster digital transformation by helping agency leaders understand and implement new approaches, business models and technologies….so what’s next for these two year old efforts.  

Lessons learned from TSA's enterprise risk management.Two years before the Office of Management and Budget released the updated A-123 to include Enterprise Risk Management guidance, the Transportation Security Administration was experimenting with implementing its own ERM system. Now, as OMB establishes governmentwide risk management, TSA has lessons learned, challenges and metrics to share with other agencies to help ease implementation.

Five challenges feds face to adopting Internet of Things.  The federal response to the Internet of Things is two-sided, optimistic yet cautious. Early adopters hail the potential for major advancements in public safety, health, energy use, and military capabilities. But few are willing to commit until industry overcomes some very serious challenges and agencies address certain policies governmentwide. A recent reportreleased by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation identifies five specific challenges to federal adoption of IoT: Lack of leadership; lack of technical skills; Lack of funding; incompatible procurement systems; and a low threshold for risk.

Crucibles of Leadership.  “As lifelong students of leadership, we are fascinated with the notion of what makes a leader. Why is it that certain people seem to naturally inspire confidence, loyalty, and hard work, while others (who may have just as much vision and smarts) stumble, again and again? It’s a timeless question, and there’s no simple answer. But we have come to believe it has something to do with the different ways that people deal with adversity…

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The Business of Government Radio Show -- Pamela Dyson, Chief Information Officer at the SEC. What is the Securities and Exchange Commission’s IT strategy? How is the SEC modernizing its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system? What is it doing to expand its data analytics capabilities to better meet its mission? Join host Michael J. Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Pamela Dyson, Chief Information Officer at the SEC.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. 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.