I really enjoyed reading Spence Witten’s piece about GSA’s handling of Alliant 2. Some really great insights, delivered with his trademark candor.
It has to be a heady time for GSA. They’ve opened up the Technology Transformation Service (TTS), had its commissioner leave shortly thereafter, then watched as more than one report questioned the effectiveness of its digital services team, 18F. Now they’ve hired a former Pixar exec to take the reins at TTS.
To that end, I’m glad Spence wrote about Alliant 2, as it’s good to hear some success stories to counteract some of the bad feelings generated by watchdog reports.
I’m curious to hear what people think about what’s happening at GSA these days. Personally, I’ve been impressed by the work 18F does, and I’m not convinced that “billable hours” is necessarily the best way to measure an organization that is intended—at least in part—to shepherd cultural change within the federal government. That’s not to say they should be allowed to skate on eight-figure losses, but perhaps with a bit more accountability, the ship could be righted easily enough.
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Jonathan Messinger
Public Spend Forum
Washington DC
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