Public CIO - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 35)

contain clear metrics. When it comes to managing contracts, I like to say that if you don’t have accountability on both sides, there’s no one to call if things go wrong. This is especially true on the sometimes complex contracts that support federal IT operations. Initiative Reaps Awards To build an electronic infrastructure that was more citizen-centered and results-oriented — and that gave citizens the freedom to act upon key information — DOL launched two Web sites: www.GovBenefits.gov and www.DisabilityInfo.gov. Both were designed to serve as one-stop, online resources for the public, and both started as coordinated efforts among many federal agencies. They have grown and matured over the past five-plus years. Both Web sites have been recognized with several awards, such as Government Executive Magazine’s Gracie Award for Excellence in Government (GovBenefits.gov in 2002); one of Harvard University’s top 50 programs in its Innovations in American Government Awards (GovBenefits .gov in 2007); and DisabilityNetwork.com’s Web Content Managers Best Practice Peer Award (DisabilityInfo.gov in 2005). In fiscal 2004, DOL achieved green status and progress scores on the OMB Expanded Electronic Government PMA scorecard, which have been maintained for all but one quarter ever since. Pizzella’s Advice for Federal CIOs Over the last 10 years, as IT assignments for federal departments became increasingly linked to one another, it has become essential for CIOs to no longer exist on their own separate islands, but instead collaborate and coordinate with their CIO colleagues on projects that affect federal employees and citizens. Almost as important is the CIO’s ability to properly assess the capabilities of potential contractors that will work hand in hand with federal employees to help accomplish our mission. WHILE OUR AGENCY RECOGNIZED THAT LEADERSHIP STARTS AT THE TOP, WE ALSO REALIZED THAT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP EXIST AT ALL LEVELS OF THE ORGANIZATION. Moving Toward Enterprise IT In February 2002, one of the first departmentwide IT efforts we undertook was to develop and implement a common e-mail system, which replaced nine e-mail networks and used standardized e-mail addresses and IT capabilities for all DOL employees. We also standardized DOL’s word-processing package, which led to the consolidation of multiple software licensing contracts into one departmentwide enterprise agreement. We created a common look and feel for all DOL.gov Web pages and developed a single departmentwide e-procurement system. We also reduced by 78 percent the amount of toll-free numbers — and their related costs — used by DOL. These efforts have not gone without notice. DOL received the Performance Institute’s Top E-Gov Award (2002) and the President’s Quality Award for Expanded Electronic Government (2006). From fiscal 2002 to 2008, Labor’s discretionary budget decreased by 6.7 percent, but during the same period we achieved moderate increases in IT funding that led to DOL’s achievement of these IT efficiencies. 2009 and Beyond: More “E” in the DOL In January 2009, we will help usher in a new presidential administration. As the nation prepares to move forward under new leadership, we at the department are pleased to hand over an agency that has changed — for the better — the way we do business. But more important is what these expanded e-government initiatives mean to taxpayers: a more electronic, citizen-centered DOL. It also shows what can be accomplished when you combine a results-oriented secretary of labor with the hard work of talented, focused federal employees.¨ www.public-cio.com [35] http://www.GovBenefits.gov http://www.DisabilityInfo.gov http://www.GovBenefits.gov http://www.DisabilityInfo.gov http://www.DOL.gov http://www.public-cio.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public CIO - December 2008/January 2009

Public CIO - December 2008/January 2009 Contents Contributors Introduction Tense Times Insider Threat Twenty and Counting Labor of Love Putting Process Into Play Crossover Appeal FastGov CIO Central Security Adviser CIOs Pluck BlackBerry Phones From the Field Straight Talk

Public CIO - December 2008/January 2009

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