“Implementing new hardware and software systems for a digital transformation within any given government agency is a painstaking, arduous undertaking, and requires a significant investment from agency leadership.”
“Speaking on a panel featuring several government technologists, Jeff Shilling, Chief Information Officer at the National Cancer Institute, discussed a host of holistic issues in digital modernization efforts across agencies, notably emphasizing the importance of getting the support of a department’s workforce when implementing new technologies in everyday business operations.”
“Referencing the NCI’s recent agency-wide efforts to revitalize their information technology and other operational software systems, Shilling emphasized the importance of having agency leadership communicate the benefits of new enterprise technology at a personal level.”
“’Once we started showing them some of the things they could do with this technology, showing them dashboards, showing them [NCI staff] actual data, showing them reports that before they couldn’t get…they were like ‘hey this is awesome,’ Shilling said Tuesday on the panel, hosted by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center.”
“Other officials working within various government agencies, including Philip Letowt, the Executive Director with the Information Sharing and Services Office at the Department of Homeland Security, and Sean Wybenga, an informatics specialist at the Food and Drug Administration.”
“Both officials agreed with Shilling’s take on promoting positive attitudes toward digital transformation among all levels of staff within an agency, especially within middle management…” Read the full article here.
Source: Ambitious Agency Modernization Efforts Demand Leadership Involvement – By Alexandra Kelley, December 1, 2021. Nextgov.