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Accountability, transparency and their unintended consequences

Organizations that emphasize accountability and transparency often find it difficult to improve performance, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

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Air Force lab finds a simple way to support telework

The open-source Lightweight Portable Security tool provides trusted endpoints for remotely accessing DOD IT resources from untrusted environments, enabling secure Internet browsing and telework on sensitive systems.

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GAO: Documentation, communication key to management success

Without management plans and documentation, agencies can lose control of well-run operations, GAO says.

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How to improve procurement: Stop talking about requirements

Federal agencies would do themselves a favor if they stopped thinking in terms of requirements and started talking about user needs, writes consultant Ray Kane.

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FDA strategic plan heavily reliant on IT

The Food and Drug Administration set agencywide goals in its new draft Strategic Priorities Plan for 2011 to 2015 that touch on many uses of IT.

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One more time: Contract management needs to be a core competency of government

Federal agencies waste a lot of time and money on large government IT projects because they lack the necessary management expertise, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

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Agency leaders, advocates see tipping point on telework

Federal officials and telework experts say government is ripe for making telework a normal part of its work routine, rather than a neglected relative of normal on-site productivity.

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DOD brainstorms new digital health record system

The Defense Department is preparing for the next-generation Electronic Health Record Way Ahead project with a study of alternatives that will be discussed this month.

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FedScoop, health IT conferences commence

A pair of conferences in Washington get under way and feature government executives speaking about innovation and other IT-related issues.

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Wennergren sees changing role for DOD CIO -- and department's IT progress

In an FCW exclusive interview, former DOD CIO Dave Wennergren reflects on the significant shifts in the way the department works -- and what will be required to sustain the ongoing changing tides.

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OPM not doing enough to protect privacy on background checks, GAO says

The Office of Personnel Management handles about 2 million background checks a year, but it needs to do more to ensure that privacy is protected, GAO says.

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Buzz Factor: Most read

These were the most-read stories on FCW.com for the past two weeks.

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Breaking the big taboo: How much do you make?

GovLoop members discuss the discomfort that comes with making the federal pay system transparent, writes Andrew Krzmarzick.

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OMB's hold on financial systems comes with a price

An OMB-mandated pause on financial system projects is likely to diminish momentum on modernization efforts, write Laurance Alvarado and John Cox, senior directors at Alvarez and Marsal.

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4 steps toward better collaboration in government

KPMG's Mark Forman identifies four changes federal agencies could make to take fuller advantage of the latest breed of collaboration software.

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Note to feds: Go forth and fail!

There's a fine line between being on top of a project and stifling workers' skills, FCW cartoonist and blogger John Klossner writes.

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Do program managers belong in program offices, or in IT shops?"

Should program managers--the professionals who are best-suited to provide a results-oriented, front-line perspective on the features of the system as it is developed and released--work with program offices, or in IT shops? Blogger Steve Kelman ponders the question.

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VA losing ground on GI benefits automation program, IG says

The Veterans Affairs Department is moving to automate the processing of veterans' education benefits, but the program is still vulnerable to performance and cost problems, according to the VA's inspector general.

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Social networks are most popular Gov 2.0 tool, survey says

Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are the most commonly used Gov 2.0 tools for government agencies, according to a new survey.

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Low participation in SSA video contest is latest in a lackluster series

News analysis: A public relations expert offers remedies for recent video contests sponsored by the Social Security Administration and other agencies that generated relatively few entries.