One Neck To Hang

We are working toward this goal of an empowered CIO for one very good reason. Congress wants to hold someone accountable. Whether it is Frank Baitman overseeing HealthCare.gov or Donna Seymour over the hack of OPM, Congress wants accountability. It’s no longer acceptable for the CIO to claim ignorance, or that he or she doesn’t have the authority to make a difference. If you are the CIO you need to have visibility into the stuff that isn’t working well. If someone tries to block that visibility or access, you better document that. This new FITARA law is designed to counter anyone who is blocking you. So if that is what you are seeing, you took an oath:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. 6

You need to live up to that oath. If you aren’t faithfully discharging the duties, you need to make people aware.

 

In This Series

The Federal IT Papers–Part1

The Federal IT Papers–Part 2

The Federal IT Papers–Part 3

The Federal IT Papers–Part 4

The Federal IT Papers–Part 5

The Federal IT Papers–Part 6

The Federal IT Papers–Part 7

The Federal IT Papers–Part 8

The Federal IT Papers–Part 9

The Federal IT Papers–Part 10

The Federal IT Papers–Part 11

The Federal IT Papers–Part 12

1  https://web.archive.org/web/20000803205737/http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/inforeg/infotech.html

2  https://www.signup4.net/Upload/CONN13A/FEBR112E/VanRoekel_Presentation_041913.pdf

3  https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2011/m11-29.pdf

4 http://fedscoop.com/simon-szykman-the-seven-year-cio/

5  http://www.usda.gov/documents/federal-info-tech-acquisition-reform-act.pdf

6 https://archive.opm.gov/constitution_initiative/oath.asp

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Demosthenes
Demosthenes
Demosthenes is a pseudonym for a senior Federal IT official.
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