Paper and Presentation 1 of 2: Growing Good in Government Initiative: Cultivating the Feedback Loops of the Future
Abstract: The government’s ability to deliver value to its citizens is critically dependent on the holistic integration and alignment of its policies, goals, and objectives to its portfolios, programs, and projects. However, in its current state, there appears to be a pervasive misalignment and lack of coordination of roles and responsibilities across the Federal Performance Framework. The implementation of crucial legislations such as Evidence Act, FITARA, PMIAA, and Data Act, appears to be often executed in isolation, leading to redundancy, inefficiency, and the underutilization of resources. Moreover, the absence of a consolidated approach to program and project management, data and analytics, and limited access to critical knowledge and expertise within the organization, appears to further exacerbate the issues.
Over time, lack of coordination has led to a degradation of internal capabilities and appears to have fostered a pervasive culture of reliance on contractor support to manage many aspects of programs and projects. This has resulted in an erosion of institutional knowledge and the ability to execute core functions, often inherently governmental work, independently.
The absence of a holistic understanding of the inventory of benefits we are required to deliver as well as the requirements (capabilities) needed to deliver them leads to increased siloed development of solutions. Without clear metrics and accountability for measuring the actual benefits delivered through various initiatives, these initiatives risk becoming self-serving, rather than being focused on tangible outcomes for the citizens.
The combination of these factors has led to a sub-optimal environment where the government struggles to keep pace with the evolving demands and expectations of the public. This disjointed approach has far-reaching consequences, including reduced public trust in government, failure to effectively address emerging challenges, and missed opportunities for innovation and improvement.
The G3I seeks to address these multifaceted problems by instituting a coherent and integrated approach that unifies and optimizes the various elements of government operations to ensure that they collectively contribute to delivering sustainable benefits to the American public. Through G3I, the goal is to reinvigorate our organization’s ability to collaborate in fulfilling its mandate in the most impactful and enduring way possible.
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Presentation 2 of 2: Hear about the USDA journey standing up and sustaining the USDA Program/Project Management (P/PM) Community of Practice (CoP)!
Abstract: With the implementation of the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (PMIAA), the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) directed the federal government to “Build a Capable PM Workforce”. USDA responded by creating the Mission Area Senior Program Manager (MASPM) to support the Program Management Improvement Officer (PMIO) in implementing PMIAA and OMB’s 5-year strategy. Since that time, USDA has built a strong cross collaborative network of program and project managers working together to co-create solutions to our shared capability gaps. Many of our shared capability gaps were in the training and development capabilities for our program and project management professionals. Without funding but working together USDA found innovative ways to bridge that gap and provide training to all USDA program and project managers. Our network of volunteers grows every day, and we are excited to share what we have been able to accomplish as well as our vision for the future. You will hear directly from the two Mission Areas leading this effort for USDA, Forest Service and Marketing and Regulatory Programs. They will share the story, the good and the ugly, of their 2-year journey bringing the USDA Program/Project Management (P/PM) Community of Practice (CoP) to life and sustaining it at USDA.
PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working
Biography: Jason Traquair joined the USDA in November of 2019. He is responsible for the success of all acquisition programs within his focus area (Mission Area) and is accountable for assuring the Mission Area complies with the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (PMIAA). Before joining USDA, he worked as a Project Manager for both the General Services Administration (GSA) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on several non-IT projects and initiatives. Jason served on active duty in the Army as a Paralegal for the Judge Advocate General Corps.
