Each administration issues a President's Management Agenda (PMA) that lays out several key goals around transforming the way government does "business." In his PMA, President Biden challenges agencies to "prove that government can deliver results." The guidance goes further to define success as results that are equitable, effective, and accountable. The PMA has three key areas of focus that aim to advance efforts currently in place with additional counsel and resources.
Priority 1: Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce
The once feared "retirement tsunami" in reality has been a slow, steady wave, but incredibly impactful, nonetheless. As long-tenured federal employees retire, they take with them a valuable trove of knowledge - of what has worked and not worked overtime as well as how to navigate the bureaucracy of government. It is important to take that information out of employees' heads and document it in systems so that future teams have access to the experience.
Beyond retaining their knowledge, the role these employees play also needs replacing. Recruiting, training, and retaining are key focus areas of the PMA. To fill senior roles, existing employees need training to advance into these more strategic positions. For more tactical work, agencies are challenged to find ways to automate some manual efforts.
Recruiting the federal workforce of the future is more than finding people who can do the job. The PMA asks agencies to ensure their workforce mirrors the diversity of their constituents, bringing access to a more well-rounded approach to serving citizens. Once that diverse workforce is in place, they should have all of the modern tools they need to succeed in their role or else the government risks losing their talent to other employers who can better support them in day-to-day work as well as growth opportunities.
Priority 2: Delivering Excellent, Equitable, and Secure Federal Services and Customer Experience
Building on the customer experience goals put forth by the last two administrations, the Biden PMA asks agencies to deliver the value and competency Americans expect and deserve. Agencies can do this through several key strategies.
- Improve the service design and resulting digital products and customer-experience - Focusing on "High Impact Service Providers" the PMA aims to build on the digitization that has been introduced across government to ensure that services are being provided equitably for citizens and in a way that works for the employees providing the service.
- Design, build, and manage government service delivery strategy for key life experiences that cut across federal agencies - The idea here is to enable information sharing and integration across agencies that supply related services. This goal would reduce duplicative paperwork and streamline access to government services by better organizing information based on the life experience (disaster relief, college loan, etc...) rather than by the agency providing it.
- Identify and prioritize the development of federal shared products, services, and standards that enable simple, seamless, and secure customer experiences - Building on the integration idea in strategy two (above) this goal aims to leverage common capabilities across agencies to provide a secure way to meet citizen needs with less clicks and calls.
Priority 3: Managing the Business of Government to Build Back Better
This focus aims to make government a key engine for our nation's economic growth. The manufacturing base can be strengthened by focusing government buys and investments on American-owned and run companies. It also means that solutions to climate change, sustainability, and equity are being created in the U.S. making the products and solutions easier to implement and keeping the revenue in the country.
GovEvents has a host of resources to help agencies navigate these three priority areas:
- ATARC Digital Transformation Virtual Summit (January 18, 2022; webcast) - Hear from topic experts on how emerging technologies have transformed the federal government, as well as ways to strengthen an agency's digital transformation journey. Panelists will also dive into 2022 Digital Transformation planning, what it will look like and what it means for their agencies' Digital Transformation Journey.
- Innovation and IT Government IT Insights: Winter Edition (January 19, 2022; webcast) - By taking a citizen-centric approach to information technology, public sector leaders can deliver services in a fast, more secure, and reliable manner. Learn from past transitions and plan for technology imperatives for a culture of continuous improvements.
- Drive Workforce Collaboration, Creativity, and Productivity (February 9, 2022; webcast) - The pandemic demonstrated the need for government services to be accessible, inclusive, and user-centric. The delivery of equitable, integrated customer and employee experiences requires a stack of flexible and secure technology that connects the government with people and allows the exchange of information and expertise across agencies. Join these virtual seminars to learn more about the integrated technologies that underpin successful digital government and customer experience (CX) projects.
- IT Modernization Summit (March 2, 2022; Arlington, VA) - IT modernization tops the list of priorities under the Biden administration. Join the top decision-makers from government and tech as they discuss ongoing efforts in federal IT modernization, the continued move to modern, cloud-based systems, and what is in store with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
- Reinventing Civic Services With Intelligent Automation (white paper) - Citizens are speaking, and leaders are listening. The mandate for modernization in citizen services has arrived. Agencies are blazing their own trails to success with data accessibility as the spark, intelligent automation as the fuel, and responsive customer services as the fire that ignites rapid revenue growth for further innovation funding. What can you learn from their approaches, and how can you make these innovations even better for your community?
- How Federal Agencies Can Reskill Workforce to Ensure Digital Transformation (white paper) - Read highlights from a discussion among federal government agencies about how to align reskilling the federal workforce with the advancing digital landscape. Panelists shared insights on the various reskilling challenges and solutions encountered in public service.
Check out more modernization events on GovEvents.com. You can also browse the GovWhitePapers' library of informative resources.
