December 2016 ACT-IAC CONTRIBUTES TO A MORE EFFECTIVE & INNOVATIVE GOVERNMENT 2016 State of the Organization The mission of the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) is to create a more effective and innovative government by providing a trusted, objective and ethical forum where government and industry executives can communicate, collaborate and learn. ACT-IAC spans organizational, functional and mission boundaries to bring together all those who share a vision of improving government s mission and operational performance through the application of technology. ACT-IAC is composed of exceptional individuals and organizations committed to creating an extraordinary government to serve our nation. The ACT-IAC community includes over 11,000 individuals from government and industry. These individuals are the volunteers who provide the leadership, the products and the content that is changing the way government and industry collaborate and advance. This document provides a quick summary of ACT-IAC s major contributions during 2016. If you are already a member of this respected and important community, thank you. If you are not, and you would like information on ACT-IAC and how you can engage in this community to make a difference, contact ACT-IAC today at ACT-IAC@actiac.org. We hope you enjoy reading about our accomplishments and will join us in the year ahead. Margie Graves ACT President Dave McClure IAC Chair Ken Allen ACT-IAC Executive Director 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 500, Fairfax, VA 22031 www.actgov.org (p) 703.208.4800 (f) 703.208.4805 ACT-IAC: Advancing Government Through Collaboration, Education and Action
Unique Forums fostered Collaboration and Education In 2016 ACT-IAC s major events Acquisition Excellence (AE), Management of Change (MOC) and the Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) -- continued to redefine how the community collaborates and learns. Over 1500 executives (28% from government) attended these events. Highlights included: Acquisition Excellence 2016 provided a learning and collaborative forum for the acquisition community to discuss current initiatives and opportunities for improvement. Thought leaders participating in AE included Greg Giddens (Acting CAO at VA), Claire Grady (DoD Director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition); OFPP Administrator Anne Rung; and DHS CAO Soraya Correa. The OMB Office of Federal Procurement Policy presented its Acquisition Leadership awards. Practitioners from across government and industry met at the 2016 Management of Change conference to address a range of issues from the evolving role of the CIO to cybersecurity to the power of analytics. US CIO Tony Scott and GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth were among the speakers. 150 attendees participated in the Solution Sprint to develop recommendations for initiatives to improve government. Long time government executive Robert Suda (Suda and Associates) received the John J. Franke Award. Change was the theme of the 2016 Executive Leadership Conference and change was the theme of topics from transformational leadership and agile government to disruptive technologies. Center stage was a new format to stimulate new thinking through quick vignettes on innovative approaches to important problems. 125 attendees participated in the Co-Creation competition to develop projects for presentation to OMB. The 2016 Janice K. Mendenhall Spirit of Leadership Award was presented to industry leader Andy Robinson (Robbins-Gioia). Customer experience, cybersecurity, FITARA and the hiring of veterans were among the topics addressed at the seven ACT-IAC Forums held in 2016. Each provided a collaborative, outcome-oriented environment where government and industry executives could focus on a specific issue. 756 individuals 43% from government ---engaged in these highly rated events. The Cybersecurity Forum provided a hands-on learning experience with a Shark Tank where attendees worked together in small teams to address a realistic emergency scenario and create presentation for senior agency management. The senior agency managers who heard these presentations provided feedback on whether the message was conveyed effectively. Two senior White House cyber officials participated in the cybersecurity forum and updated attendees on the Administration s initiatives. 2
The US CIO spoke at two of the ACT-IAC forums one on FITARA and one on IT modernization. A key feature of the FITARA event was that attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback, ideas and potential solutions for Phase 3 of the ACT-IAC FITARA project. Collaborating to Create More Effective and Innovative Government In 2016 the ACT-IAC Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) completed their transformation into the Communities of Interest (COIs) thereby creating a more agile structure focused on the highest priority issues. The COI topics include acquisition, customer experience, human resources management, financial management, emerging technologies, data analytics and a range of other important issues. The COIs held 45 public meetings in 2016 on issues of interest to the tech community. Over 1,400 individuals attended these meetings. 414 ((42%) of the participants were government employees. COI content was made available through five white papers, three forums and in the agendas for AE, MOC and ELC. The COIs assisted DHS and other agencies with their efforts to improve the acquisition process; advised GSA on the evolution of NS2020 the next generation of Federal telecommunications; worked with the FAA to shape its FTI-2 strategy for the future of FAA telecommunications; and developed best practices to improve the cybersecurity workforce. FITARA, IT legacy system modernization and other technology management issues were addressed through special projects in 2016. Recognizing the importance of these issues, a new COI IT Management and Modernization was created to provide a forum for addressing these issues. ACT-IAC developed FITARA maturity model raised the bar on the quality of ACT-IAC products and is being used throughout government as a benchmark for implementing FITARA. Major developments in 2016 included the identification of tools and best practices to implement FITARA, and metrics for assessing organizational project. The FITARA team briefed agencies and interested Congressional offices on the project. ACT-IAC assisted OMB and the agencies in addressing the important topic of IT legacy modernization. ACT-IAC provided recommendations to OMB that set forth a high-level, structured approach to modernizing IT systems. ACT-IAC also provided comments to OMB on its draft policy guidance regarding modernization. ACT-IAC supported OMB and OPM leadership after the OPM breach to ensure that the issue was addressed and actions were taken that were communicated to affected individuals and organizations. ACT-IAC provided recommendations to OMB on how to improve the implementation of the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process. 3
At the request of GSA, ACT-IAC assembled a team to advise GSA management on the operation and administration of the new Technology Transformation Service. As 2016 comes to a close, ACT-IAC is awaiting the signal from GSA to proceed. ACT-IAC continued to support the Administration s initiatives on shared services and the effective implementation of the new Unified Shared Services Management organization in GSA. ACT-IAC collaborated with the Shared Services Coalition and the Association of Government Accountants to produce a one-day event on shared services that drew over 400 attendees. ACT-IAC supported GSA and OMB with implementation of category management and the Acquisition Gateway by providing venues for the government to communicate with industry. ACT-IAC will be offering a one-day educational and collaborative event on these topics on March 1, 2017. Promoting Innovation The Institute for Innovation promoted innovation throughout the government. The Institute initiated a series of innovation roundtables to begin building a community of innovators. The 2016 Igniting Innovation Awards displayed 40 exciting and innovative products and services from government and industry. A record of 147 nominations from around the nation were received. Over 400 attendees attended the awards to see these innovative ideas. The overall winner of the innovation awards was myuscis from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). ACT-IAC is supporting the activities of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to share these innovative ideas and others with the government agencies. Recommendations for the Next Presidential Administration Over 200 ACT-IAC volunteers participated in the development of recommendations for the new Administration on issues that significantly impact the government s application of technology to mission performance and operations. ACT-IAC recommendations addressed the Federal budget process; human capital management; improving customer experience; cybersecurity; technology management to improve mission performance; aligning Federal, state and local activities; and innovation in government. ACT-IAC worked closely with the Partnership for Public Service and other organizations interested in better government on this project. Advancing Small Businesses The ACT-IAC Small Business Alliance (SBA) supported the engagement of small businesses in the government marketplace by providing content and programs tailored to the needs of the small business community. The SBA hosted 14 events in 2016 7 Straight Talk sessions, two half-day events and 2 4
networking/teaming mixers. Over 650 individuals, of which 95 were from government, participated in these events. The ACT-IAC SBA developed a close working relationship with the US Small Business Administration. ACT-IAC was invited to become a partner of the US SBA s Small Business Technology Coalition which provides thought leadership and educational programming to small businesses throughout the United States. The Small Business Alliance briefed the government s interagency OSDBU Council in 2016. The Alliance works with the Small Business Administration to host monthly educational webinars on topics of interest to small businesses. The Alliance produced a white paper on How Small Businesses Invest in Growth. The Alliance also presented a Small Business Advocacy Award to two individuals one from government and one from industry. As a result of its initiatives, the US Department of the Treasury gave the ACT-IAC Small Business Alliance an award for Best Industry Group of the Year. The award was presented at the ACT-IAC Small Business Growth Symposium and recognized the Small Business Alliance for its work to create opportunities for small businesses. Educating and Developing the Workforce The ACT-IAC professional development programs continued to contribute to a more knowledgeable and professional workforce in the government community through the Partners and Voyagers program wherein government and industry executives are paired for the duration of the program. The Partners program, designed for individuals on the way to the most senior levels of government and industry, graduated 29 individuals. The 2016 Voyagers program (for mid-level executives) had 24 students graduate in 2016. The ACT-IAC Fellows (alumni of the Partners and Voyagers programs) sponsored an event for the community on Managing IT Transformation During Transition. The Young Professionals Council rebranded itself to NexUS to reflect a commitment to cultivating the next generation of US leadership. There are over 300 members of the NexUS community. NexUS hosted a forum with 85 attendees and an executive roundtable on Evolving into a 21 st Century Leader that drew 55 attendees. The ACT-IAC Academy, through its partnership with the FAC Academy, provided access to exceptional training on the acquisition and management processes with the opportunity to acquire certifications. The Academy will be expanding its partnerships during the coming year. 5
Giving Back to the Community ACT-IAC members gave back to the community through the ACT-IAC Volunteer Corps. The ACT-IAC Volunteer Corps supported 13 local organizations in 2016, ranging from DC Kitchen to Toys for Tots. Thank You In addition to thanking the many ACT-IAC volunteers who contributed to the above accomplishments, we want to express a special thanks to the many companies who are sponsors of ACT-IAC. In order to provide a trusted and objective forum, ACT-IAC does not accept government funding to underwrite its activities. In addition to corporate dues and event registrations, corporate sponsorships are vital to our ability to provide value to the community, the government and our nation. There are over 80 companies who sponsored ACT-IAC during 2016. A complete list is on our web site at www.actiac.org. We want to especially thank those companies who have contributed at the most significant levels. This list is headed by AT&T our strategic mission partner. Joining them are the 2016 Gigabyte sponsors Booz Allen Hamilton, Brocade, CenturyLink, Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) and OnPoint. Join the ACT-IAC community today make a difference for yourself, your organization, your government and you nation. For Further Information ACT-IAC. Email: ACT-IAC@actiac.org; web site: www.actiac.org; Phone - 703-208-4800 6