Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) John Sherman has officially launched a Customer Experience Officer (CXO) Portfolio Management Office, a DoD spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk today.
The CIO first announced plans to set up a new CXO office back in August 2023, with an aim to boost customer experience across the Pentagon’s broad information technology (IT) enterprise.
According to senior Pentagon leaders, the new office will provide a comprehensive approach to managing user experience as a portfolio that ensures a consistent and focused effort with result-driven measures and accountability.
“This office will establish a data-driven approach, informed by network and user device feedback,” Leslie Beavers, principal deputy DoD CIO, said in a written statement to MeriTalk.
The new office aims to improve the delivery of IT products for defense personnel and enhance their interactions on associated digital platforms. It will develop strategic guidance, assess the department’s performance, and align business objectives with user needs.
Beavers explained that some key near-term initiatives for the CXO office include “updating the Digital Modernization Strategy to better align with the Strategic Management Plan and current IT and Cybersecurity approaches, updating performance analysis programs and processes, and providing targeted programs with process improvement assistance.”
Boosting user experience in relation to the DoD’s IT enterprise has been a top priority for some time, especially as the agency has continued to struggle in this area.
In February 2023, a Defense Business Board study found that 80 percent of respondents rated user experience as average or below average. In addition, in 2022 an open letter laid out issues DoD employees had with IT systems, and asked for fixes.
Savanrith Kong, who previously served as a digital service expert for the Department’s Defense Digital Service organization, has been tapped to lead the CXO Portfolio Management Office.
