Government Technology - June 2008 - (Page DC28)

Viewpoint BY TODD SANDER | DIRECTOR, DIGITAL COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR DIGITAL GOVERNMENT If It Were Up to Me … Local governments must lay the groundwork for major technology projects. ave you ever thought, “If it were up to me …?” I’m sure you have. I know I have, especially recently. This year, people in the United States spend many hours listening to presidential candidates from across the political spectrum talk about how things could be, should be and will be if voters leave it up to them. Candidates have more than enough to talk about: the economy, health care, education, taxes, among other things. However, America’s continuing military involvement in Iraq has served to divide and deﬁne the candidates. Each of them makes a forceful case for how things will be when they’re elected. Listening to the candidates debate, it occurred to me that regardless of your views about the past, present and future of American military policy, there are important and valuable lessons to be learned and some basic principles we can apply as local government ofﬁcials when looking at large and complicated technology projects. First, despite the way it sometimes seems, the initial planning and approval process for a major technology project may prove to be the easy part. At the beginning, the task is deﬁ ning the need, identifying an approach and securing a commitment for the initial resources. Embedded within the plans are assumptions about how long it will take, how well deﬁned the issues are, the commitment of partners and participants, and the beneﬁts the organization and community will receive. Experience has repeatedly shown, H It’s your responsibility to ensure an appropriate and realistic foundation has been laid. however, that once a project is under way, everyone’s understanding of those things will likely change. America’s current military involvement began with a shared vision, but it quickly became apparent that sustaining that vision beyond the initial push would be a major challenge for the Bush administration. Hindsight being perfect, we now know that ofﬁcials failed to fully appreciate what it would take to rebuild and repair the physical and organizational infrastructure in Iraq following the initial combat and to deal with the historical and political realities of that region. There was an assumption that Iraqi citizens would embrace democracy, and quickly and efﬁciently organize themselves into a new government. The original plans proved inadequate once 28 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES JUNE 08

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - June 2008

Government Technology - June 2008 Contents Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions For... 3 Technologies That May Change Your Job ...And Your Life Loosening Medicaid's Grip Better Living Through Technology Immersive Itineraries Help Yourself Taking the Bait Shared Connection Up Close Spectrum Products Personal Computing signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Digital Tactics for a U.S. Recession E-Dilemma Stifling Community Innovation Leadership Interview Estonia Becomes E-Stonia If It Were Up to Me …

Government Technology - June 2008

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