Technology Leadership Institute: Lessons Learned

t's a given these days that information technology is crucial to the success of most agencies' programs. Less clear is just how agencies can best find, procure and manage the large systems they need. Leadership is obviously key, but who should be in the lead, and how should executive and program management interact with technology experts? What are the ingredients of a successful federal technology initiative?

These questions were explored during a two-day Government Technology Leadership Institute organized by Government Executive, the Brookings Institution, the National Performance Review, the George Washington University and the Senior Executives Association. About 150 senior federal officials participated in the Dec. 2-3 event, which focused around lessons learned from IT projects at three major agencies: the Internal Revenue Service, the National Weather Service and the General Services Administration. Speakers included leading federal officials, and experts from outside government.

Several lessons emerged. The need for leadership was the most repeated refrain. Successful IT management requires enthusiastic and informed leadership throughout all phases of project implementation. Much of the discussion focused on the role of Cabinet secretaries, but many participants argued that chief information officers must also lead change and innovative thinking.

One specific lesson was the necessity of better communication among senior management and staff from IT, finance, planning and operations. They must work together to redefine the strategic direction of the agency and use IT as a tool to achieve new goals. And headquarters must truly see staff in the field as valued end users who are consulted from the beginning.

Managers and staff should embrace new norms and approaches to the work of their agencies. They should ask questions like: Should we be in this business and can someone else do it better? They should seek to shorten planning time cycles; replace customized software with commercial off-the-shelf software; and seize opportunities created by procurement reform to redefine relationships with vendors. Managers should initiate projects that improve key programs, meet time and cost targets, and foster a culture of accomplishment.

Managers at all levels should educate themselves about the strategic applications of IT and not simply think of it as automation. Managers were urged to spend a substantial amount of time looking outside of their agencies for best practices wherever they can be found. It is much easier and cheaper to be a "fast follower" than a first inventor, and federal agencies should copy, where appropriate, innovation occurring in the private sector.

The first annual Institute drew strong support from key members of the President's Management Council, including John Koskinen, who was Office of Management and Budget deputy director for management, and his likely successor, G. Edward DeSeve. At the end of the first day, DeSeve conveyed congratulations and gave certificates to the 22 agencies that won the 1997 Government Technology Leadership Awards sponsored by Government Executive.

The Institute was supported too by companies whose technology is at the foundation of agencies' IT initiatives. Corporate supporters included founding sponsor BMC Software, Compaq, Lucent Tech- nologies, MasterCard, SAP, NCR and Wang.

The Institute partnership is following up the program with a June 9 to 11 seminar by project management expert Gopal Kapur, who was the top-rated speaker in December. Kapur's program has a one-day component for executives and a two-day block for those charged with overseeing and managing projects.

The second annual Technology Leadership Institute is scheduled for Dec. 1 and 2, 1998. For more information, call Lela Sallis at Brookings, (202) 797-6299.

Kari Moe is a research fellow at the Center for Excellence in Municipal Management at George Washington University in Washington.