Reengineering Through Information Technology

Reengineering Through Information Technology Issue Summary

Chances are, if you've chosen to participate in this Electronic
Open Meeting, we don't need to convince you that expanding the
government s use of information technology is a good idea. Your
participation proves that you're already in the vanguard of federal
workers who want to use information technology (IT) as a tool to reshape
the way government does business. You recognize that IT is a means
rather than an end.  Used wisely and employed creatively, Information
Technology can be a major force in the government reinvention process,
just as it has been in the private sector.

The goal of this Open Meeting topic is to talk about NPR's three-part
agenda for integrating IT benefits throughout the federal government: 1.
Strengthen Leadership in IT, 2. Implement Electronic Government that
includes appropriate privacy and security safeguards, and 3. Establish
Support Mechanisms.  Early on, we recognized that without
effective leadership from the top, this agenda would simply be dead on
arrival. To initiate and coordinate IT actions, the Executive Branch set
up the Information Infrastructure Task Force. We also endorsed the
formation of a working group to coordinate federal IT initiatives with
state and local governments, and the private sector. NPR has made seven
recommendations to incorporate proven IT features that will dramatically
enhance efficiency, lower costs, and provide our customers with easier
access to government services. One of these recommendations is expanding
electronic mail throughout the government and giving all workers access
to this system, the same one that is making this Electronic Open Meeting
possible.

We've learned from the experience of the private sector, and through our
own trial and error, that a robust support mechanism is critical to the
success of any information technology system.  So we've launched five
NPR recommendations that tackle support issues. These include improving
infrastructure, insuring privacy and security, refocusing IT acquisition
on performance rather than costs, providing innovation incentives, and
making training and technical assistance more readily available.

Over the past year, working together, we have made progress.  The
Government Information Technology Services (GITS) working group has made
positive strides toward creating an electronic government. For example,
one interagency team has released a plan to distribute an estimated $111
billion in federal benefits electronically, nationwide, within three
years. Another team has developed electronic commerce standards that
promise to significantly reduce the cost of government purchases and
speed up their delivery. GITS is also working on improving our
technology infrastructure by consolidating federal data centers,
addressing privacy and security issues, and improving IT training for
federal employees. GSA has responded by streamlining rules for
purchasing computer equipment and OMB is currently piloting
performance-based technology service contracts.

Your participation in this Electronic Open Meeting will go a long way
toward energizing, refining, and implementing NPR Recommendations and
Actions affecting the use of Information Technology in the government.
During the next two weeks you'll be able to connect, engage, and network
with participants across the federal workforce. By sharing experiences
and ideas on government reinvention, this Electronic Open Meeting will
help forge the enterprising and pragmatic solutions needed to create a
government that works better and costs less.