Michael J. Keegan

Agile emerged initially as a set of values and principles for software development formalized in 2001 with the Agile Manifesto. For two decades, it helped revolutionize software development. Today, Agile approaches have been adapted to government services beyond software development, offering a new way of thinking and delivering in areas such as project management, policymaking, human resources, and procurement. 

The Post-COVID Civil Service:  Dr. Donald F. Kettl joins discusses how federal service can change after the pandemic. The pandemic has brought to light many systemic problems in American governance and the civil service. Like other major disasters, the pandemic presents an opportunity to reshape the future of work in the federal service. Looking to the big lessons for COVID and beyond -- turns out that the quality of people in government matters most.

Working Together as a Federal IT Enterprise to Deliver for the American People. In a new blog post, Federal CIO Clare Martorana discusses how the pandemic forced us to re-evaluate the way we operate across government and ask how we can serve our citizens faster and more securely.

CISA Releases Draft Guidance for Agencies’ Transition to IPv6. Federal agencies are on the clock to transition networks and systems to using Internet Protocol version 6, and the Trusted Internet Connection program office released draft guidance to help them make the move securely. The last pools of addresses for the previous standard—IPv4—were exhausted in 2011.

OMB Expands Customer Experience Guidance for Federal Agencies. In its annual update to Circular A-11, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) made significant changes to section 280, which focuses on customer experience (CX) and service delivery. The new changes provide a new expanded definition for customer experience – one that includes equity and designates CX as a priority instead of a nice-to-have.

A Tuesday like no other: Feds recall shock of 9/1. Two decades ago, what began as an unremarkable Tuesday for federal employees quickly changed into an historic event like never before, and the country was never the same. Every agency was affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and their workers impacted both directly and indirectly. Federal News Network asked readers who were in federal agencies that day to share their experiences of 9/11, in honor of the 20th anniversary on Saturday.

House infrastructure bill includes over $3 billion for federal tech. Under an amendment from Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the Technology Modernization Fund could see another $1 billion in capitalization. The House Oversight and Reform Committee voted to approve over $3 billion for federal tech initiatives, including another billion-dollar investment into the Technology Modernization Fund.

In her book, Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future, Margaret Heffernan noted that the “work of artists endures because they dare to imagine what they can’t see and allow their minds to leave predetermined paths.” I had the pleasure of interviewing Margaret on The Business of Government Hour to discuss her book and the many cogent leadership insights it offers. She counsels that though we may not all be artists we need their independence and stamina.

DHS stands up new excepted service for cyber talent. The Department of Homeland is launching a new excepted service for cybersecurity talent, according to a new rule scheduled to publish on Thursday. The agency says it'll help it adapt to growing cyber threats and a tight labor market for cybersecurity professionals.

Maria Roat, deputy federal chief information officer within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) joined me on The Business of Government Hour to share her thoughts and insights on what is next for IT modernization and the role federal IT plays in transforming the lives of its users. Here are edited highlights of our discussion.