Weekly Roundup: October 26-30, 2015

The Rise of Innovation Labs. NextGov reports: “The White House wants more federal agencies to tap into the creative ideas floating around in their employees’ heads by launching innovation labs, according to a newly released administration strategy for boosting U.S. innovation.” Many agencies have created innovation labs – not unlike the reinvention labs in the Clinton Administration – to provide employees a safe space to actively engage in testing out new ideas. DATA Act SBA Pilot. Federal News Radio reports that the Small Business Administration, which is helping pilot the implementation of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, has found benefits already: “Tim Gribben, deputy chief financial officer at SBA, said he’s able to connect the dots and learn more about what each program within the agency is doing, and what they’re doing well.” P3 Pilots Announced. The Department of Education announced nine “performance partnership” pilots – a multi-agency effort to meet the needs of disconnected youth. The goal is to pool resources and waive rules across these agencies in order to “respond jointly to common challenges that communities face.” The pilots are focused on evidence and learning, both at the local and national levels. New Mindset for Better Outcomes. Georgetown University’s Beeck Center released a new report that recommends “strategies for transforming the public sector and shifting billions of dollars in public spending to incentivize and pay for policies and programs that deliver impact.” The report was released at a White House-sponsored forum this past week. VA Assesses Its Electronic Health Records. NextGov reports that: “The new top IT official at the Department of Veterans Affairs told lawmakers Tuesday she is meeting with her staff this week to discuss the future of a planned upgrade of the department’s in-house electronic health record system. . . . The meeting comes after an independent report by MITRE Corp. concluded the homegrown system, first developed in the 1980s and still highly rated by clinicians, is “in danger of becoming obsolete.” Procurement: Why Things Go Wrong. Stan Soloway, in a Government Executive Op-Ed, says: “Stuff happens. Things go wrong for a wide range of often unpredictable reasons. But when there are glaring signs that go unheeded, or old saws or presumptions that are allowed to dominate, there is really no excuse for the poor results that follow .. . This is clearly true in federal acquisition, which is responsible for the expenditure of nearly half of the federal discretionary budget.” He follows with a cogent example. * * * * * The Business of Government Radio Show. What is open innovation and how can government leaders use it to find new ways to improve services? What are the best ways to capitalize on open innovation? Join host Michael Keegan and he explores these questions and more with Donald Wynn and Renee Pratt, authors of the recent IBM Center report, Making Open Innovation Ecosystems Work: Case Studies in Healthcare. Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Wednesday at noon, on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED