Author: ericthomas
How was your day today? Fine.
If you were ever a teenager in another life or a parent in this one, this standard greeting will sound very familiar to you. (more…)
The future of federal procurement for laptops and desktop computers will be for federal agencies to act as one. According to the Office of Management and Budget, federal agencies spent about $1.1 billion on laptop and desktop computers during the 12 months ending September 30, 2014. (more…)
Organization charts have not changed appreciably since their origins at the onset of the 19th century -boxes connected via straight lines or dotted lines to other boxes. (more…)
Everyone agrees that the $80 billion dollars spent annually on federal IT systems could be better managed. Not surprisingly the problems are multidimensional and span many functional areas. (more…)
Anyone that has developed budgets knows that it is an inexact science and budgeting for federal agencies is particularly inexact. Federal budget planners have to consider that funding will come from multiple sources at different times during the fiscal year. (more…)
Increased computing power has given society the ability to analyze extremely large data sets to reveal patterns, trends, and correlations. So called, Big Data, is purported to have the potential to cure cancer, prevent terrorism, and even feed the world. (more…)
We have all heard people clamor that the federal government should be run like a business. Those people are wrong. The federal government is not a business and should NOT run like a business. Businesses are incented to maximize shareholder return which is often equated to some measure of profitability. (more…)
It is easy for those inside and outside of the “beltway” to take shots at the workings of the federal government. Admittedly there are problems with talent acquisition and retention, fiscal management, and project management just to name a few. However, one of the beacons of hope is our very own Government Accountability Office. (more…)
During my sophomore year in college my girlfriend at the time made a mixtape of my favorite songs. It was a very thoughtful overture. Yet today her efforts would be considered unnecessary and inefficient. There is no need to record songs from CDs or other tapes onto a new tape. Instead we outsource the development of playlists to Spotify, Pandora, or the other latest music streaming service. (more…)
