The process of implementing new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence can often provide agencies with the opportunity to revise and even remove old ways of doing business, according to government and industry experts who spoke at the Future Ready Government event May 2, 2018.

“Oftentimes organizations as a whole don’t ever review their processes,” said Michael Marchuk, chief technology evangelist for North America at Blue Prism. “So often opening up this Pandora’s Box [helps] to find out how are we doing this work now, should we be doing this work anymore, does it even make sense to be doing it?”

For example, Craig Fisher, program manager at the Bureau of Fiscal Service’s Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation, said that when his team began a project to use blockchain for keeping track of electronic devices distributed to employees, they found that many of the old documented process for keeping track of these devices weren’t the same as the process people were actually using.

“At least half that process for us that applied most was just understanding what we do. And I think that there’s a lot of opportunity in that,” said Fisher, adding that the blockchain project helped them get rid of lengthy travel and scanning processes normally used to keep track of electronics.

“It’s very important to map out the process that it’s going to be replacing and what those redundancies are,” said Asif Khan, director of financial management and assurance at the Government Accountability Office.

Khan added that as more agencies begin to experiment with blockchain and other cutting-edge technologies, “word will get out” on which processes are best improved by the incorporation of that technology.

“GAO feels that there has to be a fair amount of research and development in this area on how blockchain, along with other emerging technologies, can be leveraged by government,” said Khan.

According to Vicki Hlidebrand, chief information officer at the Department of Transportation, discovering those bad or unused processes also helps ensure that the new technology actually works as it’s supposed to.

“The worst thing you can do is automate a bad process,” said Hildebrand.

About Jessie Bur

Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.

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