Federal agencies can create and foster environments of technology innovation and efficiency if they better articulate the focus and authorities of chief technology officers (CTO), suggests the Professional Services Council’s (PSC) new report, "Ensuring the Effectiveness of Federal Chief Technology Officers."

The report — led by PSC’s Innovation Committee co-chairs Robin Lineberger of Deloitte and Casey Coleman of Unisys, incorporating research work and interviews with current and former federal CTOs — looks at a relatively new position in the digital age.

With nearly two-thirds of the 23 departments and agencies included in the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 currently having CTOs, PSC’s recommendation is that CTOs be empowered to take on the opportunities and challenges of making in-roads for technology adoption while addressing an aging IT workforce. Comprehensive strategies for how to look at technologies across government, overcome cultural resistance and further interaction within federal and industry CTO communities will help attract and retain talent.

"The importance of fostering dialogue between agency CTOs and industry cannot be overstated," Coleman said in a news release. "If we expect agencies to adapt to the rapid pace of technological change, CTOs will have to be in the vanguard of delivering new solutions and approaches."

The PSC report recognizes CTOs have a widely varying set of roles and responsibilities, depending on agency mission. However, most find themselves working in the following six broad areas: innovation; managing enterprise architecture and data; coordinating between offices; acting as technology adviser and consultant; developing the technology workforce; and strategic positioning. 

Most agencies have structures where the CTO either reports directly to the chief information officer (CIO), is seen as a peer working independently of the CIO, or acts dual-hatted as the CTO and CIO. The CTO’s placement within agency architecture and technology efforts must be aligned in a way that increases engagement and idea sharing.

According to the report, industry CTOs feel some best practices applicable to their federal counterparts are the need for CTOs to be empowered to have more budget authority; to spend more time out of the office evaluating emerging technologies; to be outstanding communicators able to articulate mission needs and initiative benefits; and to work closely with product management teams to identify what will be going to market and what successes can benefit peer groups.

PSC recommendations to allow CTOs to deliver on the promise of technology include federal agencies designating a CTO with the requisite authorities to affect change; agencies assuring the CTO has an explicit working relationship with the agency CIO; the executive branch moving the U.S. CTO from the Office of Science and Technology Policy to OMB, working for the federal CIO, as well as establishing a CTO Council; and lawmakers considering CTO legislation only if it will empower agency CTOs as innovation agents. 

CTOs as innovation agents and the conclusions of this report will be one of the topics at the PSC Tech Trends Conference to be held Sept. 21 at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington, Virginia.

The entire report can be downloaded from the PSC website. 

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