Reflections on Deploying Technology and Innovating in the Federal Government

Deploying new technological solutions and innovating in the Federal Government is incredibly difficult. Each agency has different requirements, unique acquisition processes, and varied missions. This complexity makes it difficult to procure, implement, and sustain new capabilities. Fortunately, there are countless teams across the Federal government who are willing to roll up their sleeves and push boundaries.?

Even though my perspective and experience in the Federal government is limited, I have had unique opportunities to deploy new cloud-based systems, develop technology programs from scratch, and go through the entire acquisition process. While this journey has been painful at times, it has been the most rewarding professional experience. I put together a few lessons learned to help others in the Federal government innovate and deploy new technologies faster.?

(1) Take calculated risks.

The federal government needs technology professionals who are willing to take deliberate and calculated risks. The government is known to move slow; however, it doesn’t have to, and it shouldn’t. Technology certainly isn’t slowing down. The Federal government has a duty to responsibly leverage these new technologies to modernize the way we carry out our multifaceted missions.?

Before you begin deploying a new capability, you need to step out of your comfort zone. This entire process is challenging and will require you to wear multiple different hats. As the lead project/program manager, you will have to advocate for your capability, manage engineers, understand the fiscal constraints, procure the capability, and go through the entire security authorization process. Embrace the fact that you will not know everything.?

(2) Know your purpose. Provide value.?

You don’t deploy a new capability just to check a box. You deploy new tech solutions to alleviate some identified pain point the organization is facing. Maybe a software application is long overdue for a refresh, or a new solution is cheaper and more capable. Whatever the reason is, you need to know your ‘why.’?

The most successful projects are ones that have ‘product market fit.’ In the private sector this is easy to gauge - are customers using your product or service? In the Government, this is incredibly hard to measure. In fact, it usually isn’t a metric even considered. When I was building out a new program from scratch, the first thing I did was identify customers. Identifying customers - end users - helps you establish business value, and defend the upfront investment. However, you don’t want to identify ‘ordinary’ customers. You want to identify customers with the same pain points, and those who are willing to provide some level of funding - especially if you aren’t on budget yet - to help offset consumption or licenses costs.?

After you identify customers, you then need to develop a minimal viable product (MVP). This will require you to procure a limited number of licenses or to develop some beta product in a development environment. There are multiple ways to go about this, but the most important thing is to solve the customers’ problems in a limited fashion. Don’t just tell them what is possible - show them. Deploying a new capability isn’t just about the tech, it is also about the underlying business process. Make it more efficient. Once you provide value, it becomes much easier - 100x easier - to scale the solution across the organization.?

(3) Get an executive champion.?

I have been lucky to work on projects that have had buy-in from the organization’s most senior leaders. The reality is this isn’t common. Your agencies CIO and Deputy CIO have long-term and short-term priorities that are constantly changing. As the project/program manager, it is your responsibility to ruthlessly advocate for your project to leaders across the organization. The more leaders you can educate about your capability, the better - especially if these leaders are from different parts of the organization (i.e. finance, HR, healthcare, operations, etc.).?

Creating a minimal viable product (MVP) and providing value to a limited number of customers will make it easier to get an executive champion. You now have customers who can also share their perspective to senior leaders in the organization. It makes it a lot harder for the executive champion to say ‘no’ when multiple entities are asking for the same solution.?

(4) Leverage Industry. Be selective of your partners.?

This is arguably the most important part and will require you to take calculated risks. Only work with industry partners and companies that will push you to try new things.?

Why? Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you may need to swim against the current. Just because another agency or military component is doing something one way, doesn’t mean you have to. Everyone has different requirements and use cases.?

While you may be solving the same business case, the underlying technology and how you implement it can be different. Technology in the Federal government isn’t ‘one size fits all.’ Understanding your customers will help you decide which solution to use. Don’t be afraid to try new products and capabilities. There are dozens of new products and companies who are developing tailored capabilities for the Government. Lean into this new class of players in the Federal marketplace.?

(5) Partner with security early.?

In the government, security is no longer an afterthought. It is a requirement you need to think about early in the project/program initiation process. There have been multiple times where I made the mistake of not engaging with security early, and it significantly delayed project timelines. This was my fault.?

In your organization, you need to meet with your project/programs ISSO early and frequently throughout the entire lifecycle. Your job is to make it hard for the security assessors to say ‘no’. There are a few things you can do to overcome this:?(1) Show the information assurance branch the value your capability provides to the organization.?(2) Understand the entire security authorization process (Interim Authority to Test (IATT)/Authority to Operate (ATO)).?(3) Create an overarching security strategy. Figure out how you plan to secure your system and how it will tie into existing security tools/controls.?

The earlier you include security, the better off the entire project/program will be. Security doesn’t exist purely to say ‘no.’ They are trying to protect the organization and want to make sure your capability is compliant with existing security policies.?

I know there are other things you can do to improve your chances of being successful when deploying new capabilities in the federal government; however, these are the lessons I have learned throughout my short career. From a tech perspective, it is an exciting time to be in the Federal government. The government is finally tackling hard technological problems and is leaning on these new solutions to make it more efficient, enduring, and capable.?