Todd Park, CTO of the United States, should be saying no.
Todd has mandated six months for progress on:
- MyGov
Reimagine the relationship between the federal government and its citizens through an online footprint developed not just for the people, but also by the people.
- Open Data Initiatives
Stimulate a rising tide of innovation and entrepreneurship that utilizes government data to create tools that help Americans in numerous ways – e.g., apps and services that help people find the right health care provider, identify the college that provides the best value for their money, save money on electricity bills through smarter shopping, or keep their families safe by knowing which products have been recalled.
- Blue Button for America
Develop apps and create awareness of tools that help individuals get access to their personal health records — current medications and drug allergies, claims and treatment data, and lab reports – that can improve their health and healthcare.
- RFP-EZ
Build a platform that makes it easier for small high-growth businesses to navigate the federal government, and enables agencies to quickly source low-cost, high-impact information technology solutions.
- The 20% Campaign
Create a system that enables US government programs to seamlessly move from making cash payments to support foreign policy, development assistance, government operations or commercial activities to using electronic payments such as mobile devices, smart cards and other methods.
This is a classic “death march” pattern.
Having failed to make progress on any of these fronts in forty-two months, President Obama wants to mandate progress in six months.
Progress cannot be mandated and a competent CTO would say no. To the President and anyone who asks.
Progress is possible but only with proper scoping and requirements development.
Don’t further incompetence.
Take the pledge:
I refuse to apply for or if appointed to serve as a Presidential Innovation Fellow “…to deliver significant results in six months.” /s/ Patrick Durusau, Covington, Georgia, 2 June 2012.
(Details: US CTO seeks to scale agile thinking and open data across federal government)
[…] A Competent CTO Can Say No Another Word For it […]
Pingback by Links 6/3/12 « naked capitalism — June 3, 2012 @ 5:58 am
[…] White House death march farce I covered in A Competent CTO Can Say No […]
Pingback by Need to Pad Your Resume? Innovation Fellows Round 2 « Another Word For It — February 6, 2013 @ 11:39 am