Dec 1

Dec 1 Are Government Project Managers Ready for Another Government Shutdown?

Industry Analysis, Information Technology, Project Management, R&D Management, Sequestration

As the specter of a shutdown of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) begins to loom large, my thoughts turn again to how such a shutdown will impact projects and project managers at DHS (other than the obvious impacts of increasing taxpayer costs and disrupting scheduled public services, of course).

Jan 30

Jan 30 Challenges Facing Small and Medium-size Government Contractors

Dennis D. McDonald

Acquisitions, Marketing, Media, Procurement, Project Management, Sequestration,

My friend Bob Davis, interviewed by Mark Amtower recently on Federal News Radio, talked about the challenges facing small and medium-size government contractors.

Oct 1

Oct 1 When Federal Government Project Management Collides with the "New Normal"

Dennis D. McDonald

Change, Disaster Response, Governance, Industry Analysis, Politics, Productivity, Project Management, Sequestration, SoftPMO

Welcome to the New Normal world of the federal project manager. Shutdowns. Furloughs. Sequesters. Red tape. Delays, Retirements, Meetings.It’s not an easy task managing Federal IT projects these days.Not that it ever was. But now the problems are severe.

Sep 11

Sep 11 The State of Government Data Transparency, 2013

Dennis D. McDonald

Big Data, Data Access, Open Data, Sequestration, Standards, Transparency

What I found most interesting and useful about the Data Transparency 2013 conference held September 10 in Washington DC was the diversity. The ability of Hudson Hollister’s Data Transparency Coalition to bring together such a high-quality group of speakers and attendees representing so many different perspectives was quite an accomplishment.

Aug 20

Aug 20 Extended Project Deadlines are a Double Edged Sword

Dennis D. McDonald

Costs, Project Management, Schedules, Sequestration

At minimum, project and program managers need the ability to know and communicate to project and program stakeholders what the implications are of changed deadlines in terms of cost, quality, and performance.

Aug 1

Aug 1 What I Learned About "Budgeting At The Brink"

Dennis D. McDonald

Collaboration, Governance, Management, PPM, Politics, Project Management, Sequestration, eGovernment

I expect that adjustments to IT projects at some agencies and programs are going to be pretty messy, painful, and ugly as indiscriminate budget cuts continue to ripple down to individual programs.

Jul 25

Jul 25 Facing Reality and the Need to Recalibrate Sequester-Impacted IT Projects

Dennis D. McDonald

Accountability, Collaboration, PMO, PPM, Project Management, Sequestration, Transparency

In some ways this looks like a standard IT strategy alignment project where a small team helps gather and present data to enable a client to see a path forward whereby technology resources are defined and managed to improve support for accomplishment of a set of defined objectives. But…

Jun 27

Jun 27 Outline of a Sequestration & Project Management Research Program

Dennis D. McDonald

Metrics, Project Management, Sequestration

I’ve been researching how the federal budget sequester is impacting federal projects and project managers. In “Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on Project Management” I suggested that not all Federal programs are able to quickly assess and reconfigure ongoing projects in the face of sequestration-related uncertainties, so I’ve given some thought to …

Jun 13

Jun 13 Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on Project Management

Dennis D. McDonald

Metrics, PMO, PPM, Project Management, Sequestration

How you respond to the impacts of Federal sequestration on ongoing projects will be at least partly determined by how “mature” your project management practices are.

Jun 4

Jun 4 More Thoughts on the Budget Sequester's Impact on Project Budgets

Dennis D. McDonald

Cost Analysis, Project Management, R&D Management, Sequestration

In A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester” I suggested that an unintended consequence of the US government’s budget “Sequester” might be that some ongoing projects will end up costing more than originally planned because of the effect lengthening a project schedule can have on a project’s budget.

May 24

May 24 A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester”

Dennis D. McDonald

Cost Analysis, Project Management, Sequestration

One of the realities of managing projects is that, the longer a project takes to complete, the more it usually costs.

May 13

May 13 Transparency Is Not An End In Itself

Dennis D. McDonald

Accountability, Data Access, Local, Metrics, Open Data, Sequestration, Transparency, Innovation

While data generated by a government program should be readily available and shareable among its target constituencies and members of the public, I also believe that resources devoted to improving the transparency of a government program should also promote the accomplishment of that program’s goals.

Apr 1

Apr 1 Matching Technological Literacy with Delivery of Government Services

Dennis D. McDonald

Automation, Customer Care, Customer Support, Local, Open Data, Sequestration, Transparency, eGovernment

Is the “open government” movement’s emphasis on technology creating two classes of citizens based on technological literacy?

Mar 4

Mar 4 How Will We Know When "Sequestration" Hurts Us?

Dennis D. McDonald

Metrics, Sequestration, Statistics, Transparency, eGovernment

Given availability of data on government programs from sources as diverse as Performance.gov, Data.gov, Sunlight Foundation, and the State of the USA project, where can we go for impartial reporting on the impacts sequestration will have on the US economy?

Aug 20

Aug 20 Challenges in Turning Federal Digital Strategy into Mobile Reality

Dennis D. McDonald

Acquisitions, Innovation, List_AR, Mobile Tech, Sequestration, Strategic Planning, Strategy, USDA, eGovernment

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: