Streamlining Processes to Reduce Administrative Burden
By Dr. John Zangardi, Ph.D. - Published, November 14, 2014
I am pleased to address you as Acting DON CIO after having been appointed to serve in that capacity on 24 Oct. Though the office has been aligned with the DUSN (M) organization, the DON CIO will continue to maintain a direct reporting relationship to the Secretary of the Navy on matters required by law, regulation, and policy. In addition to serving as Acting DON CIO, I will remain the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Information Operations, and Space (DASN C4I/IO and Space).
As DON CIO, I will apply my experience with and understanding of operations, finance and DON IT development programs to my policymaking role. To begin, I will be reviewing several CIO oversight processes to determine if/how we can reduce or eliminate administrative burdens.
My first step in this endeavor was to issue policy on 31 Oct. standardizing the documentation required to obtain Clinger-Cohen Act (CCA) confirmation for IT acquisitions, which will streamline and simplify that process. My next focus will be on the IT procurement request (ITPR) process implemented in 2011, as I have received significant feedback on concerns from users regarding this requirement.
After initial discussion about the ITPR process as it has been implemented in various organizations, I believe that this is another opportunity to create a streamlined, user-friendly approach that saves the DON time and money, while satisfying our legal and managerial requirements. I have reached out to my Navy and Marine Corps partners for their support of a continuous process improvement (CPI) review of the ITPR. Whether that review will take the form of an abbreviated Lean Six Sigma or other process improvement initiative is now being determined. No matter what technique is employed, I am certain that a better process will result.
In addition to streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary administrative effort, I will continue the DON’s search for opportunities to increase efficiency and improve capabilities and effectiveness by using commercial services when feasible. Making smart use of commercial services can enable the DON to improve responsiveness, productivity, and agility and to stay closer to the pace of advancements in technology.
I will also make it my mission to ensure that IT guidance provides our operational forces with effective and executable strategy. For example, I want to implement a mobility strategy that answers the Services’ need for mobile capabilities at prices they can afford.
I am enthusiastic about my new role as the DON CIO and the opportunity to improve support to the warfighter. I look forward to working with all of you on the DON team as we move forward together.