Weekly Roundup: December 11-15, 2017

Clock Is Ticking. In an op-ed for Government Executive, Stan Soloway writes: “While better government management was a major theme of the Trump campaign, a real management agenda—one that is cogent, coordinated, leadership-driven, and focused on improving institutional and mission performance—is not yet in evidence. I’ve been in and around government for more than three decades, across five administrations. Like many of my colleagues, I would have expected more in the way of such a plan by now.”

Tech Mod Plan Is Out.  NextGov reports that the White House American Technology Council “has finalized an ambitious plan to modernize the federal government by promoting commercial cloud services and reducing duplicative investments.”

Tech Mod Plan’s First Step. NextGov reports on the creation of the first tech Center of Excellence: “The White House today announced its first IT modernization center of excellence that will combine top federal talent with industry partners to bring the government’s old, outdated systems to the modern day. . . . . The Agriculture Department will serve as the test-bed with the goal of creating “the most effective, efficient, customer-focused department in all the federal government,” Stephen Censky, the department’s deputy secretary, said Thursday.”

MGT Act is Signed. Federal Times reports: “The Modernizing Government Technology Act became law on Tuesday as part of the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Trump. . . . The bill has two major components: a working capital fund in each agency that enables agencies to save IT funding for up to three years for modernization efforts, and a $250 million revolving capital fund that agencies can borrow from to support specific modernization projects.”

Math Matters.  Government Executive published an op-ed by Ryan Graff that describes a series of decision scenarios where the math differs from an intuitive decision.  Thought provoking!

Linking Reorg and Employee Engagement.  FCW reports: “While some Trump administration priorities, such as workforce reduction and civilian budget cuts, seemingly run counter to improving workforce morale, human resources offices are looking to tie agency reorganization plans to employee engagement efforts.”

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This Week’s The Business of Government Radio Show.

Carla Provost Acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - How is the US Border Patrol securing America’s borders? What are some of the key challenges in this area? How is the Border Patrol using technology to meet its mission? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Carla Provost Acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection next week on The Business of Government Hour.

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.