7 minute read
At a Glance: Setting the Conditions for Innovation
An interview with the GSA Administrator
The more entrenched we become in a risk-averse environment, the more likely we are to embody mindsets that sabotage progress.
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But there are exceptions — even in government. GovLoop spoke with Administrator Robin Carnahan about an ongoing program within the General Services Administration that elevates innovation.
Called 10x, this investment program crowdsources, evaluates, develops and scales ideas from federal employees across agencies that improve how the government serves the public. Carnahan shared insights on how organizations can set conditions that cultivate innovation.
De-risk innovation
The riskiest thing the government can do is to stay the same, Carnahan said. Change includes a mindset shift around risk, what it means, how to reduce it and how to take smart risks or bets.
For Carnahan, taking smart bets means incremental, intentional steps toward change, which is foundational for the 10x program. De-risking in this sense isn’t about delaying progress but rather using defined timelines and small, initial funding to test ideas, prove impact and potentially scale.
Make it easy to share ideas and say yes to viable ones
One of the hallmarks of GSA’s 10x program is how accessible it is for employees to share good ideas, understand the selection process and be included in decision-making.
“We need to make it easy for people to give their new ideas, and innovative ideas, into a place where they can actually be tested and scaled if they’re appropriate,” Carnahan said. In fiscal 2021, the 10x team received 250 ideas from 89 unique agencies. After a year of targeted outreach, the team received 70% of their ideas outside of GSA.
Evaluate Idea
Clarity Alignment Impact Demand Major Red Flags
Timeline Market Fit Regulatory Requirements Current State Funding Model
Phase 1: Investigate
Phase 2: Discover
Phase 3: Develop
Phase 4: Scale
MVP Recruit Agency Customer Product Roadmap Business Plan
Additional Customers Largest Possible Audience
The 10x program’s four-phased approach for selecting, evaluating and scaling new ideas. Source: 10x.gsa.gov
Seek impactful projects
The focus with any new idea or innovation is impact, Carnahan said. She pointed to the launch and expansion of 10x projects such as Login.gov, a single sign-on solution for government websites. This is a big deal because governments at all levels grapple with verifying that people are who they say they are to receive a government benefit.
But not all projects have a clear trajectory. The U.S. web design standards is one example. It’s an online library of materials to help agencies provide easily accessible, mobile-friendly websites around standard design principles. It also started as a 10x project.
“Five years later, there have been almost a billion, with a B, data use of things using U.S. website standards,” she said. “Cities and states use it … and other countries use them.”
Have questions or are interested in exploring aspects of 10x that might work at your agency? Learn more here.
WHEN DOC-CENTRIC PROCESSES DRAG DOWN INNOVATION
An interview with Shelley Holmes, Vice President, Public Sector, Ephesoft, and Sean Reid, Senior Solution Engineer, Ephesoft
If innovation is the engine for change in government, relying on paper documents is like driving around with the hand brake on. Even trying to process most electronic documents can be like driving in first gear when the speed limit is 45 mph.
What’s needed is a way to capture the data locked up in documents and create digital workflows.
"We’re seeing this as a major area for agencies to future-proof their processes with a way to access data," said Shelley Holmes, Vice President, Public Sector at Ephesoft, which provides an intelligent document processing (IDP) platform called Ephesoft Transact.
IDP Defined
In brief, IDP is a process that uses modern, artificial intelligence-powered technology to automatically extract data from documents and convert it into structured, searchable and actionable information.
Usability is key. When IDP is put to use, the outcome is improved efficiency, productivity and accuracy due to automating previously manual processes. The information also can be seamlessly shared with other business systems, such as enterprise resource planning, content services or other workflow tools.
Benefits include:
→ Savings in personnel hours because of streamlined business processes
→ Decreased IT support costs, from using a modern, central AI-powered IDP platform that captures data vs. dated legacy systems or manual processes
→ Increased efficiency by eliminating manual data entry, reducing errors and achieving up to 10 times faster processing
For example, a state workforce agency adopted Ephesoft Transact to help process employment benefits and legal documents. They reported a 90% decrease
in the time needed to make decisions and a 50%
decrease in manual indexing for the benefits team.
"Intelligent document processing can have a positive impact on agencies by giving them the ability to provide citizens with faster responses and better customer service while government employees focus on higher-value work," said Sean Reid, Senior Solution Engineer at Ephesoft.
Accelerating Innovation
Recent advances in IDP capabilities provide agencies with new opportunities to rethink old processes and create a more modern work environment. Ephesoft’s IDP platform uses AI and machine learning to bring more intelligence to data capture and extraction. The solution is designed to work in collaboration with employees, automating mundane tasks while also allowing validation steps that keep humans in the loop.
Ephesoft Transact also addresses key cybersecurity requirements. Transact is available on a Federal Private Cloud FedRAMP-authorized platform, and supports Common Access Cards and Personal Identity Verification Cards for authentication purposes. Transact is also listed on the Veterans Administration Technical Resource Model, and ITCCB-approved at the Department of State. The Transact Web Scanner is on the Enterprise System Profile and is certified by the Air Force Network Integration Center, which provides for reciprocity at other Department of Defense agencies.
“A balance between being visionary and providing technical capabilities is essential to improving the speed of work and constituents’ experiences with government
services,” said Holmes.
HOW YOUR AGENCY CAN OWN INNOVATION
An interview with Brian Chidester, Head of Worldwide Industry Strategy for Public Sector, OpenText
Not long ago, when people thought of government work, they thought of cubicles – business-attired individuals working in their small corners of existence. Many didn’t associate innovation with government organizations.
But cubicles don’t encompass government. Its responsibilities and capabilities span such a wide range, it can be considered “an industry of industries,” said Brian Chidester, Head of Worldwide Industry Strategy for Public Sector at OpenText, a software solutions provider.
The range of responsibilities means there are ripe opportunities for and occurrences of innovation.
“Innovation doesn’t only have to come from partners in the private
sector,” Chidester said.
To empower the entrepreneurial spirit at your agency, technology management must be in place. Chidester outlined three best practices for laying a good tech foundation that can enable you to own innovation.
Data Silos Begone
Agencies increasingly understand that data silos must be eliminated if they want to remain efficient.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen governments being more proactive and results-oriented,” Chidester said. “Data has a large part in that.”
What drives efficiency through data is understanding how to extract information from it. When too many data silos exist, agencies don’t have a full picture to predict what may come next.
For instance, state and local agencies hold a lot of data from constituent services. If they can reduce silos and leverage that information, they can start to extract insights to address the future of service delivery and constituent needs. Miami-Dade County is one example of a government that proactively set up an online experience to address crisis. With OpenText’s help, the county modularized its digital experience so that when a hurricane hits, for example, Miami-Dade can shift its website to ensure that residents can react, respond and access key relief resources during an emergency.
Consolidate Duplicate Technologies
Many agencies tend to think of themselves as unique, individual organizations. But in most cases, there are more common needs than not.
For example, every government entity has a finance, procurement and human resources group, in addition to other similar organizations, Chidester said. When each group purchases solutions in a linear way, they may get what they need, but they do so in a duplicative fashion.
“They don’t all need their own unique IT or software support,” Chidester said. “You can consolidate that into singular platforms and get the complete ecosystem value. You save money and reduce data silos.”
Give Control Back to the Business Owners
What often gets lost in the conversation about digital transformation is the people involved. “It’s not just about the technologies you can throw at the problem. It’s the people,” Chidester said.
The business owners must be empowered to drive transformation. Because, ultimately, they set the strategy and paint the vision.
