You do need to avoid adopting standards and processes developed by other organizations without first understanding how and why they were developed. That requires research, communication with the other organization, and thoughtful planning.
All in Strategy
How Important Is ‘Total Cost of Standardization’ to the DATA Act?
Last week I attended a meeting in DC sponsored by the Data Transparency Coalition, PwC, and Intel. Representatives of the Federal agencies likely to manage implementation of the evolving DATA Act presented their thoughts on implementing the Act’s requirements for standardizing and reporting on Federal financial data.
In “IT governance is killing innovation” Andrew Horne and Brian Foster argue that IT project selection needs to move beyond traditional capital investment based ROI measures. The authors think it is more appropriate to take into account project support for critical business capabilities and that such a focus will be much more supportive of innovation.
Planning for Big Data: Lessons Learned from Large Energy Utility Projects
What can we learn from working with large energy utilities and their data that will help others plan and manage “big data” projects?
Who Buys Strategy Consulting These Days?
“It seems there are two extreme situations where people buy high-end analytical strategy work. At one end of the spectrum you have a company that’s doing well, has money to spend, and is in the enviable position where management can afford to “sit back” and contemplate what to do next. At the other end of the spectrum you have the company that’s not doing well, has cash flow problems, is having a tough time making payroll, but management realizes it really needs to do something different and wants to have an outsider look rationally at the problem of what to do next.”
Developing Digital Strategies for Web-based Public Access to Government Performance Data
On January 29, 2013 I was privileged to attend a meeting of the Government Performance Coalition at George Washington University in Washington DC. During that meeting Shelley Metzenbaum, OMB Associate Director for Performance and Personnel, discussed the “performance improvement” pages of the Performance.gov website.
Forget “Best Practices.” Think “Best People” Instead.
A major assumption is that “practices” needing improvement will actually stand still long enough to be measured, modeled, compared, then improved. That may not be a good assumption to make.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has joined other Federal agencies in seeking input on how to proceed with development of its “digital strategy.”
Challenges in Turning Federal Digital Strategy into Mobile Reality
Directive number 7 in Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel’s May 23, 2012 federal API strategy Digital Government: Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People states the following:
Is availability of powerful mobile devices and services really changing the way people work? Or are smart phones and tablet computers just providing more options for doing existing work without regard to location?
Assuming that the immediate threat of a US Government financial default is at least temporarily postponed, can we now return to considering other issues of national strategic importance?
Needed: Managing Variety in Technology Adoption Rates
I wrote Sometimes a phone is just a phone and a web site is just a web site because different people adopt different technologies at different rates. Those rates depend on need, cost, peer influence, job responsibilities, and many other factors.
Using Facebook Should Not Be a Gamble
I’m a consultant. Early on I realized a basic truth: “Where There Is Confusion There Are Consultants.”
Two Simple Organizing Models for Communication Program Planning
Sometimes I need to be whacked on the side of the head to keep things simple.
I attended a session about “net neutrality” called Preserving the Open Internet: Is a Consensus Emerging? convened on February 23, 2010 in Washington DC by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).
Do you really need a blog if you already use Facebook? Listen to what Richard Musson, vice-president of marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada, said recently when asked about using social media to support the launch of Bud Lite Lime in Canada:
Before you and your organization jump into implementing a “social media strategy,” be sure to study the communities you intend to interact with. Here are some of the questions you should ask in your research:
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for “open government.” But there are problems inherent to real-world democracy that can’t be automatically solved by making the workings of government more visible to the public.
I’m optimistic. I’m beginning to think that second-nature use of collaborative technologies by non-technologists, both for social engagement as well as for work, could reach a tipping point much sooner than I had thought. It’s not going to be completely smooth sailing, though.
I use the term “social media” all the time. It’s one of the terms listed in the index banner at the top of this page. Besides, development of “social media” strategies and tactics are an important focus of some of my current consulting clients.