Federal Manager's Daily Report

The CIO Council has started an IT Solutions Challenge, seeking to bring a fresh perspective to how IT might be used to address government-wide program challenges, new federal CIO Tony Scott has announced.

It will consist of several small working groups who will identify issues within the federal government and work together over the course of six months to develop solutions to those problems. “The goal is to tap into the hands-on experiences of front lines and find innovative solutions based on their fresh perspectives,” he said in a blog post.

Agencies are asked to nominate their best IT and IT acquisition professionals in the GS-9 through GS-13 range “who will be able to uncover and analyze policy and procedural problems within their agencies or across the federal government. We are focusing on these rising stars because looking at problems from a new vantage point will allow important issues to surface that may not have been realized otherwise.”

“Teams will work with mentors to assist in brainstorming sessions, problem identification, workplan development, and execution. Each team will also have access to subject matter experts who can provide feedback and expertise as they work to develop solutions. In the fall, teams will present their solutions and work with IT leaders to discuss next steps on implementing these solutions across the federal government,” he said.