Oregon Agile Community of Practice

?? Public-sector innovators, this one’s for you! Join Anita McGahan for "Innovating in the Public Interest: Partnering for Public Good," a free six-part workshop series with InnovateUS focused on how public agencies can collaborate effectively with private-sector and nonprofit partners to drive mission-aligned outcomes. In government, we know that solving complex challenges requires partnerships—but how do we ensure those collaborations uphold public values, deliver real impact, and scale responsibly? These interactive workshops will equip you with actionable strategies for: ? Identifying the right partners—from private sector firms to NGOs ? Building trust and securing early wins to strengthen collaboration ? Integrating innovation responsibly (including AI, data, and digital tools) ? Navigating roadblocks and learning when to pivot ? Scaling solutions sustainably without losing sight of public priorities Each one-hour session runs from 11 AM - 12 PM Pacific (2-3 PM Eastern), and you’ll earn a certificate of attendance for each session—or a certificate of completion if you attend four or more! ?? Workshop Schedule: ?? March 26 – Getting Started (Laying the foundation for successful partnerships) ?? April 9 – Winning Early (Building momentum with early successes) ?? April 24 – Innovating Organizationally (Rethinking internal processes, not just service delivery) ?? May 1 – Learning & Pivoting (Navigating challenges without losing sight of the mission) ?? May 15 – Growing (Expanding responsibly while protecting public values) ?? May 27 – Scaling (Ensuring long-term impact and sustainability) This series is part of the Private Innovation in the Public Interest initiative (Pi-Squared), led by Anita McGahan and hosted by the The Burnes Center for Social Change. If you’re in government, nonprofit leadership, or any role that involves cross-sector partnerships, don’t miss this opportunity to build the skills needed to collaborate more effectively and scale solutions for public good. ?? Register now: https://lnkd.in/g6Th3fcd Let’s work together to drive innovation that truly serves the public interest! #PublicSectorInnovation #CrossSectorCollaboration #PartneringForPublicGood

I don't love government's entrenched habit of outsourcing anything related to tech. If I had my way, government would be one of the United States’ largest employers of software developers. But if we accept the frame that government is going to continue outsourcing software development, then it's important that we reconsider how much to outsource. I don't mean what percentage of all software development, I mean the extent of each project that is handed off to a vendor. What might it look like to reduce the outsourced extent, if that would reduce risk? Where could we draw the line? I think the line is found on the far side of control. For reasons—some good, some bad—agencies often outsource projects so thoroughly that they give up their ability to control projects’ outcomes. Agencies think that they're owning control in the form of contract requirements (dozens of pages of "shall" statements), but they're not. Writing a really whiz-bang set of requirements is unrelated to project success. Requirements are put together without performing user research, they can't change as the project team learns more, and it's impossible to make them so comprehensive that the vendor can't get them wrong. Requirements are not control, they are the illusion of control. What does it look like to retain control? Agile gives us the needed framework. Control is embodied in the form of the empowered agency product owner: somebody who prioritizes the backlog, verifies the completion of user stories, and oversees user research and design to ensure that it's sensitive to policy requirements and the demands of leadership. Control is also embodied in the form of the agency's technical lead—somebody who works at the direction the product owner to ensure that the vendor's technical work is meeting the quality standards within the contract and and is appropriate within the agency's environment and standards. These are the control tasks. Once you outsource any of these tasks, you are taking government out of the user research ←→ software development cycle, and you're right back to dropping your agency's fate in the hands of the usual suspects. You can outsource your programming and your design and your user research and your hosting and your O&M and your help desk and your documentation, you can outsource all of it, but if you outsource the control tasks, you haven't meaningfully reduced your risk of failure, you've just compartmentalized it. This is not easy advice to act on. Agencies don't want to hear that they need to name a product owner, empower them, and name a technical lead. Those aren't normal agency job titles or job descriptions. They don't have somebody on the bench ready to take on an entirely new full-time set of tasks. They don't have software developers at all, let alone available to start overseeing vendors’ work. But it’s better to take on those battles and own your agency's fate than to risk blowing another $50 million on another failed software project.

Excited to share the latest from the Oregon Agile Community of Practice, a new resource collection for those passionate about agile, state capacity, human-centered design (HCD), and digital innovation in the public sector! The updated resource library is packed with practical guides, frameworks, and best practices sourced from leading organizations, including: - 18F - IDEO - McKinsey & Company - Deloitte - Ad Hoc LLC - Government Digital Service - Code for America Special acknowledgment to everyone from the18F team. Despite 11+ years of successful digital delivery, generating millions in savings, and being a “gold standard” of civic technology, 18F and its employees were summarily terminated on March 1, 2025 at midnight, having been deemed “non-critical.” The deletion of 18F was a needless and immeasurable loss, yet the principles and standards that shaped their work are an enduring legacy. They remain available thanks to ALT 18F--thank you for your continuing service! While still a work in progress, we encourage you to dive into this resource-rich library. We welcome your feedback and contributions! Please share your own favorite tools, experiences, or suggest additional resources to enrich our growing community-driven library: ??https://lnkd.in/gGHaJ8wU Let's learn and grow together! #Agile #HumanCenteredDesign #PublicSectorInnovation #DigitalTransformation #CommunityOfPractice #CivicTech

?? Did you know people with disabilities control over $21 billion in discretionary income in the US alone? Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart business. Join us on March 5th at noon PST for our webinar to learn: ?? How digital accessibility can expand your market ?? Why it improves SEO ?? How it creates better experiences for ALL users Don’t miss this opportunity to make your business more inclusive and impactful! ??

ICYMI: Yesterday we hosted the workshop "Power to the Public: Making Government Work Through People-First Innovation," where Tara McGuinness introduced how design, data, and delivery can be combined to solve public problems. Analyzing real-world examples, she explained how these principles have transformed public services (from ending homelessness, to rat abatement to improving uptake of benefits). ?? Missed the workshop? Watch the recording on our website here https://lnkd.in/ehKwr5kM On Tuesday we're hosting our "Understanding, Identifying, and Addressing Administrative Burden" workshop. Led by experts from Luke Hydrick and Lila T. from BITm participants will learn how to identify administrative burden, apply simplification strategies, and implement user-centered solutions to improve service delivery and enhance the user experience with essential public programs. Be sure to register now and don't miss out! https://lnkd.in/eQ6AbWps ???? Check out all our upcoming workshops at innovate-us.org/workshops

Did you see the latest edition of The Public Good? ?? Read the newsletter & subscribe ??https://lnkd.in/eDk7J-P9 Key Highlights: ?? Meet?Makayla Hipke, this month's Digital Difference Maker! ??Check out our 2.0 Digital Service Team (DST) Tracker with new features and improvements ?? Read the latest spotlight featuring Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections' approach to developing an equitable honoraria policy ?? Watch the recording from our Platformland book talk with Richard Pope ?? Explore notable pending #AI legislation from Utah, Oregon, California, & Georgia, plus other updates to our digital transformation policy scan ?? Explore resources and examples in the?#DigitalGovernmentHub?from?Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology, State of Maryland, Government Digital Service, Policy Lab UK, and City of Tempe ?? Governments are?#hiring! Job opportunities with the New Jersey State Office of Innovation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS), Seattle Mayor’s Office of Innovation & Performance, and Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology Office ?? Are you a government hiring digital talent or a federal employee ready for your next chapter? Work for America's Civic Match is connecting talented federal employees to meaningful work in state and local government. ??? See new headlines featuring?Gov. Wes Moore's new website for displaced federal workers

There is an increasing need for leaders in government and design to have space to connect, inspire, and uplift each other. With that in mind, we're excited to announce that Civilla studio tours are back this spring. ?? Each 90-minute experience is an opportunity to connect with our leaders, explore our human-centered design methods, ask your own questions, and share your challenges with our team. With three new dates coming up, slots will fill quickly. Check out the link below and sign up today! ?? March 19, April 16, May 21 | 1:30 p.m. -3 p.m. ET Register today ?? https://civilla.org/events

What if government services were designed to truly meet the needs of the people they serve? Dive into a groundbreaking framework for improving public systems through a blend of technology, design, and empathy in our free workshop next week with Tara McGuinness, co-author of Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology and Founder of New America's New Practice Lab. Whether you’re grappling with challenges in healthcare, education, housing, or social services, the strategies explored in this session will equip you to deliver better, more impactful results. ?? Register here and don't miss out on this opportunity! https://lnkd.in/ehKwr5kM This workshop is hosted in collaboration with the Oregon Agile Community of Practice. Travis L Miller

Journey maps are one of the most powerful tools for research and storytelling—and yesterday, we wrapped up another sold-out Practica workshop on just that! ?? Each participant walked away with a hands-on learning experience and their very own Civilla workbook, packed with journey mapping methods and practical resources to apply in their work. Want to be the first to hear about upcoming workshops like this? Sign up for Practica updates straight to your inbox → https://eepurl.com/ipZfGQ

On behalf of the Oregon Project Management Advisory Board (OPMAB), we’re pleased to host February's Business Analyst Networking Group (BANG) / Project?Management?User?Group?(PMUG) Forum on the EIS Agile Oversight Initiative (2:30-4 p.m. via Teams)! Travis will be supported in this presentation by: - Karolina Bedacht, Senior IT Portfolio Manager, Administrative & Business Services & - Alicia Miller, Oversight Analyst, Healthy People Travis Miller (JD, PMP, PMI-ACP) is a servant leader and experienced IT strategist, project manager, and public affairs professional with deep expertise in Oregon state government policy and operations. Since joining the State in 2014, he has held a variety of executive-level roles within Enterprise Information Services (EIS) and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), driving digital transformation, agile practices, and strategic governance. Currently serving as Assistant State CIO for the Healthy People Policy Area, he previously served as the Senior IT Portfolio Manager for the transportation and Economic Development Policy Area. Travis is also the co-sponsor of the Oregon Agile Community of Practice and volunteers with the Willamette Valley Chapter of PMI, where he serves as the VP of outreach. Learn more about the EIS Strategic Framework (2023-2026) here: https://lnkd.in/gMZF2dpV https://lnkd.in/g28SP5AU Please email [email protected] if you have any questions, and/or to get the Teams meeting information. Check out the BANG and PMUG webpages to learn more: BANG's webpage: https://lnkd.in/gkC9P433 & PMUG's webpage: https://lnkd.in/giKWaXJw #BANG #PMUG #EIS #EnterpriseInformationServices #ASCIO #Agile #AgileEnvironmentalScan #CoreDeliverables #AgileCommunityOfPractice #StrategicFramework