Tag Archives: gamification

Changes Coming to FITARA Scorecard

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The results of the 13th FITARA scorecard, a program developed in 2015 to measure and incentivize agencies to meet key IT modernization goals, were released in January leading to a discussion of what is next for this measurement program.

The latest results showed modest improvements, but scores for the most part have remained steady over the past two measurement cycles. On this scorecard, 13 agencies maintained the same scores from July 2021 with seven earning higher marks. A handful of agencies received lower overall marks, due primarily to their inability to transition from a legacy contract vehicle to the new preferred government-wide Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) for telecommunication technology. A March 31, 2022, deadline to move 90% of work to EIS should push many of these scores back up for the next report card.

Knowing there is still a lot of work to do in terms of modernization, the committee that oversees the program has begun discussing new measures to better reflect the current state of government IT and support recent executive-level initiatives around modernization, security, and customer service. Continue reading →

This is the Greatest Show!

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Attendees today are looking for more than an informative event. In an age where you can learn almost anything via YouTube, why would you take time out of a busy schedule to attend an event in person? It's all about the experience of learning with others and connecting with new people. Fortunately, event producers do not have to resort to bringing in elephants and fire breathers a 'la PT Barnum, there are a number of ways to drive the interactivity of events.

Many times the biggest hurdle to making a show more interactive is not technology or process, but attitude. During the planning stages, there is frequently a push-back that, "our attendees won't like that." While it is important to know your audience, a look at some basic demographics shows that most attendees (especially those going to Government-focused events) will embrace the opportunity to participate in a more interactive event.

People who were educated in the U.S. over the past 25 years were most likely exposed to "team learning." They broke into groups, discussed findings, gave presentations, and often experienced a very democratic way of learning. In childhood, the cartoons people watched talked directly to them and asked for help in problem solving - Blues Clues or Dora the Explorer broke the fourth wall of theater asking children to help find the circle. Continue reading →

Give Them a (Meaningful) Break

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Time is a precious commodity. With events, attendees are giving up precious time away from the office and possibly, away from their families. Because event organizers know that their attendees' time is valuable, their response is often to pack as much into an event as possible to provide the most value in attending. But, as in many areas of life, this "more is more" mentality can backfire. A lack of breaks can leave attendees tired and their purpose for attending left unfulfilled. Without these breaks, there is no time for attendees to absorb information or make impromptu connections. [Tweet "Time is a precious commodity. Give attendees a meaningful break. #GovEventsBlog"]

If the event is organized in a way that encourages interaction with and by attendees, you want to give them the chance to recharge from all of that engagement. A study published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that the most engaged employees are also the ones that burn out the quickest. With this understanding, it makes sense that engaged event attendees will get tired (burn out) as they are being challenged with new ideas and information. So, what should event planners do to maximize both the quantity and quality of the time spent with their attendees?[Tweet "A lack of breaks can leave attendees tired and their purpose for attending left unfulfilled. #GovEventsBlog"]

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Playing Games

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While the topics discussed at government events can be incredibly serious -- national security, cyber threats, defense -- that does not mean events have to be solemn. We've talked here before about bringing some fun to federal events without undermining the critical nature of the content.

Whether we realize it or not, Gamification has made its way into our professional lives. From "medals" awarded during mandatory online training to challenge.gov-type procurements to department contests for holiday cube decorating or charitable collections, we've inserted gameplay seamlessly into our work lives and it can also be done at our events. This game motivation goes back to our school days when teachers would post stars next to classmates' names for good behavior or excellent grades.

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