FEDERAL SECTOR REPORT

IN THIS ISSUE

21st Century Government
Links of the Month
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INVENTING 21ST CENTURY GOVERNMENT

There is a chasm between the goal and reality of E-Government, and it is called implementation. Currently agencies are struggling with a piecemeal approach which is headed for disappointment unless a unified strategy is implemented to achieve intended results.

First the goal: Imagine a federal government that is as efficient, performance driven, and customer oriented as the best multinational corporations. Imagine electronic government with customer interfaces and back-office functions as efficient as Dell Computer or Amazon. Imagine heads of federal departments giving press briefings about quarterly performance reports ... just like CEOs at General Electric or IBM do. Imagine information technology (IT) that supports a 21st century paradigm of government which I am going to dub G4R, or Government for Results.

Such visions are not idle talk but, rather, well grounded and clearly articulated in the statements of leaders like George W. Bush and Joe Lieberman. Congress has provided the legislative framework with the likes of the E-Government Act of 2002, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1995, and the Government Performance Results Act of 1993. Currently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is demanding results for dollars--requiring agencies to demonstrate results for programs and IT investments before receiving budget dollars.

Now the reality: The obstacle is not the vision of a 21st century paradigm of government; the problem is how to implement it. Currently, agencies are being flooded with a tidal wave of piecemeal changes:

• An intense budget process
• Performance Scorecards
• The Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)
• Performance Reference Model (part of the Federal Enterprise Architecture).

Requirements also encompass:

• Linking agency goals to measurable results
• Improving information security
• Defining Enterprise Architecture
• Assuring data quality
• Making Web presence more consistent
• Complying with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act
• Aligning IT with Presidential Priority Initiatives, and
• Moving toward e-Government.

In addition, OMB expects agencies to improve the management of human capital (personnel), increase competition in sourcing, strengthen financial management, and integrate budgeting with performance. Taken individually, these requirements reflect good intentions for improving government management performance, but agency managers are drowning in a tsunami of well-intentioned guidance from OMB. No federal executive, no matter how committed and talented can accomplish all of these mandates on a piecemeal basis.

The brutal truth: A piecemeal approach will not work. If you simply throw too many extra responsibilities at personnel who are already overworked, you end up with a precarious juggling act where some of the essential milestones fall to the floor or are delayed. As we learned in preparing for Y2K, a consolidated and comprehensive approach is required.

The solution: G4R must seize the ongoing attention of top agency management. It must take a unified approach to the task of transforming agencies for the 21st century. It must be organized as an enterprise-wide mission that cuts red tape, streamlines the process for change, has an adequate budget, and commands the participation of all parts of the bureaucracy. It must be a task force with deadline-driven leaders who have resources and authority. One can express these "musts" as the 4Rs of Government for Results:

• Realization - Everyone in the agency must be aware that transformation to a 21st century paradigm is an overriding priority for the entire organization
• Reach - The initiative must extend to the entire enterprise, all resources, all policies and goals, and all operational processes
• Responsibility - The entire organization must be accountable for achieving measurable results, and this will be a focus of personnel evaluations
• Refinement - Building the 21st century federal government is an ongoing process and not a one-stop destination. Continuous improvement must be an inherent dimension of the federal corporate culture.
  

When I was at the Executive Office of the President for the Y2K initiative, a military officer was detailed to head the initiative and build a temporary team dedicated solely to accomplishing the Y2K mission--on schedule, thoroughly, and without any glitches that could embarrass the White House. That team worked cooperatively and intensely with the managers and career civil service personnel who were doing their normal jobs, but the focused mission of the Y2K team kept the initiative in focus, on track, and on schedule.

The G4R mission is far more ambitious. We're talking about transforming government, a far more complex goal than protecting ourselves from Y2K bugs. Realizing 21st century government as envisioned by Congress and the Administration calls for a comprehensive mission-oriented strike force within agencies and the Executive Branch as a whole. Attempting the change on a piecemeal basis will be a frustrating and losing proposition.

I am excited about the new visions of government, and I'm ready to join the revolution. Let's hope that a G4R approach is adopted.

CONSEQUENCES OF 21ST CENTURY GOVERNMENT

A paradigm shift in government has many consequences. Here are a few of the long-term outcomes that are likely to occur:

• E-Government will automate routine business processes, and fewer personnel will be required for back office functions such as transactions and paperwork processing
• Budgets will need to redirect back office and personnel savings to investments in information technology to finance E-Government
• Government customers will receive better and faster service, as monitored by better feedback and measurement
• Agencies will improve the alignment of their program missions, measurable objectives, results and budgets
• Government contractors will contribute to performance improvements or be replaced if they fail to contribute measurably to results
• Most federal employees will be knowledge workers with the higher levels of skills required to operate a complex E-Government infrastructure
• Grantees will also be expected to contribute to measurable results that are tightly linked to legislated program goals.

LINKS OF THE MONTH

In this newsletter, I have talked extensively about the torrent of changes that federal agencies are experiencing. Following are references that point to information about some of the key forces propelling these changes.

Reference Material	Hyperlink
E-Government Act of 2002	http://www.cio.gov/documents/e_gov_act_2002.pdf
Clinger-Cohen Act of 1995	http://www.cio.gov/documents/it_management_reform_act_feb_1996.html
Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998	http://www.cio.gov/documents/paperwork_elimination_act.html
Government Performance Results Act of 1993	http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/mgmt-gpra/gplaw2m.html
The President's Management Agenda	http://www.cio.gov/documents/mgmt.pdf
Implementing the President's Management Agenda for E-Government (EOP)	http://www.cio.gov/documents/2003egov_strat.pdf
Creating a Performance-Based Electronic Government (OMB)	http://www.cio.gov/documents/egovernmentreport.pdf
A Balanced Scorecard Methodology (USDA Case Study - Performance Measurement)	http://www.cio.gov/documents/bsc_report_final.pdf
Performance Measurement Advisory Council	http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budintegration/pmac_index.html
Assessing Performance for the FY 2005 Budget (OMB)	http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/part/index.html
PART Tool for Capital Assets and Service Acquisition Programs (Excel Workbook)	http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/part/capital_assets-service_acquisition.xls
Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office	http://www.feapmo.gov/
Performance Reference Model	http://www.feapmo.gov/feaPrm2.asp
egov	http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/

HOME PAGE

One of my professional joys continues to be involvement with the Institute of Management Consultants, the organization that certifies management consultants, maintains the code of ethics, offers top-notch seminars and professional development programs, and provides networking opportunities. Elena and I went to the national conference in Chicago, and I learned a lot - from senior professionals responsible for process improvement, change management, and strategic planning.

Here at home, our DC chapter is quite dynamic - under the able leadership of Mark Haas, CMC, whose consulting firm works with senior management to identify and resolve issues that are causing the client organization to under-perform. And Becky Roberts, CMC, presented one of the best-ever working sessions on using the Balanced Scorecard. You can find a short article by Becky at the chapters website: www.imcdc.org.

The CMC designation (Certified Management Consultant)is a certification mark awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants USA as evidence of meeting the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Less than 1% of all consultants have achieved this certification. For more information, go to http://www.imcusa.org/hireacmc.acgi.

CONSULTING SERVICES

We provide enterprise-level management consulting services for federal agencies and the contractors who support them. Our areas of specialization are Capital Planning and Investment Control, Enterprise Architecture, strategic planning, performance evaluation, and acquisition support including work statements. Our consulting specialty includes experience in many related areas such as CIO program support, earned value management, risk management, the C&A process for security, and customer satisfaction surveys.

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