Every four years, the Presidential transition from one administration to another presents the Federal Government with one of its most daunting challenges. The planning for this enormous undertaking starts months before the actual election and swearing-in of the President. Behind the scenes, this change has a profound impact on how the Departments function and how they address immediate needs and plan for the future. It is not just a change in...

Spurred by technology and the upheaval of the last two years, digital transformation is powering revolutionary changes in the way Federal employees deliver services to citizens every day. The pandemic has moved the needle on remote work. Both the workplace and the workforce are changing, moving into a future that will be supported more and more by technology. The introduction of artificial intelligence and chatbots, tech tools to enhance custo...

Federal agencies are facing ever more sophisticated adversaries and threats that place our privacy, our economy, and our Nation at risk.These cyber threats are diverse and include the prevalence of malicious actors who operate globally at will; the growth of risks from the Internet of Things, and increasingly complex networks, all elevating the security and resilience of cyberspace to a critical homeland security imperative. Exacerbating these...

According to the Office of Personnel Management’s 2019 Status of Telework in the Federal Government Report to Congress, workforce participation in telework hovered at 22%, mostly on an off again, on again basis for the last few years. Few if any employees were engaging in full time telework, until the pandemic. The tide is turning for a gradual return to the office, and agency leaders are assessing how telework has enhanced employee pro...

Uncle Sam Needs You. Here’s why. The United States government enjoys global leadership, in part due to the contributions of the technologists, scientists, engineers, and innovators who serve our country in high tech roles at agencies ranging from NASA to the FAA. The need to continue to recruit IT talent comes from the very top of our government. The President recently enacted an executive order to help the Federal Government attract the...

Acquisitions in excess of $50 million in value account for one-third of the Federal government’s spending each year. These large contracts frequently support projects meant to transform areas of critical need. Yet major acquisitions can fail to achieve their goals because of the lack the program management and acquisition skills that are necessary to successfully manage complex procurement actions. These shortcomings are compounded by co...

AFFIRM 2019 Annual Leadership Awards CelebrationCelebrating 40 years of government community excellence. AFFIRM’s 40th Annual Leadership Awards recognizes exemplary performance in government and industry for both individuals and teams. This year, the awards will be presented at a gala celebration at the lovely St. Regis Hotel in downtown Washington.

Government’s role in serving citizens echoes Abraham Lincoln’s words espousing government for the people and by the people, and the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) underscores this direction by opening the door to a digital government that is evidence-based and transparent. Government at all levels is supporting business leaders within their organizations with data they need to both answer critical questions within their...

Bridging the Cyber Talent Gap in GovernmentRecent reports estimate that there will be a staggering 3.5 million unfilled cyber positons in 2021. Cybersecurity engineers who possess the right certifications and education can command top salaries at any company they choose. The Federal government is the #1 target for cybercriminals, so, in the face of this shortage of cyber talent, how can government organizations succeed in the race for cyber t...

Since the passage of the Pendleton Act of 1883, it has been a fundamental value of civil service to draw from all segments of society, and the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Civil Service was Treasury Department employee Mary Hoyt in September of 1883. Now over a century later, diversity of experience and perspective in government continue to flourish. Women in the public sector have played pivotal roles in moving toward a more open,...