Eric Egan

The U.S. government offers slow, outdated services. Congress and federal agencies should invest in digital technology and modernize their approach to service delivery to transform the current delay government into a modern, fast, digital-first government.

Customer satisfaction with federal services overall remains low. To address this long-standing problem federal agencies should immediately prioritize implementing the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act to modernize their websites and digital services.

For a behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. government’s digital transformation process, Eric spoke with Leslie Casson Stevens—industry advisor for the U.S. federal market at SAP, an enterprise solution software provider. She discusses the processes and challenges of having federal agencies as customers and how funding tech in the government should change.

The federal government is currently failing to ensure its technology is accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, and veterans.

As the U.S. government seeks to accelerate its adoption of AI, federal agencies should fully evaluate AI literacy and skills in their respective workforces so that they can address critical skills gaps before falling even further behind in AI adoption.

Though not without its challenges, telework improves employee morale and aligns with worker preference, supports adaptability in service delivery, contributes to productivity, and helps recruit and retain critical talent.

Congress initially required the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue implementation guidance for 21st Century IDEA by June 2019—not to mention pressed OMB for this guidance multiple times since then—and Federal CIO Clare Martorana said the guidance should “hopefully” arrive this summer. Without such guidance, 21st Century IDEA will remain more idea than reality.

Data is an integral part of digital government, and the United States recognizes that. In this episode, Eric speaks with Corinna Turbes, policy director at the Data Foundation. She discusses the current state of implementing the U.S. Federal Data Strategy, the role of data in improving customer experience, the Data Foundation’s recent report on customer experience and government experience success stories, and how to enhance customer experience through data.

What do customers expect and need from digital government services? Eric spoke with Chris Neff, vice president of marketing and research at Tyler Technologies, an international provider of digital and mobile services for government. Neff describes how Tyler Technologies engages with members of the public, how it assists the public sector with customer research, and what customers are looking for from the digital government services they use.

Sensible applications of generative AI can simplify access to and organization of information, automate bureaucratic processes and data entry, and contribute to design and content production.

U.S. government services need to undergo some serious changes so that they can optimally function for Americans. These changes include putting thoughtful design into services and writing policies that are actually implementable. Eric spoke with Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America and deputy chief technology officer under the Obama administration, to learn more about her ideas to modify the U.S. government so that it can successfully serve Americans in the digital age.

The Federal Data Strategy suffers from a lack of leadership and fails to link its well-defined principles and practices to government-wide and agency-level missions. The Biden administration must revive and reimagine it in order to succeed in transforming the federal government into a 21st century organization.

Watch now for a discussion on national digital IDs, which focuses on the potential benefits and concerns surrounding this technology as well as the legal and technical barriers for use.

ITIF hosted a virtual discussion on the role of culture modernization in federal digital transformation efforts and how agencies can adapt to avoid getting stuck in old ways of thinking.

Watch this panel discussion focusing on federal IT modernization, the merits of custom versus COTS solutions, and how federal leaders can evaluate which approach is best for a particular initiative.