News and Updates
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
FedRAMP Launches OSCAL Developer Data Bites Series
FedRAMP Launches OSCAL Developer Data Bites Series&mndash;FedRAMP is excited to launch an Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL) Developer Data Bites series! It will cover a variety of technical topics regarding users’ utilization of OSCAL for FedRAMP, FedRAMP automation updates or changes, and open forum conversations with subject matter experts. The first OSCAL Developers Data Bites session will be held on Thursday, September 1, at 12:00 pm, EDT. The series will continue on a bi-weekly basis.— via FedRAMP
U.S. Department of Defense Releases First Departmentwide Social Media Policy
The DOD released a policy that for the first time spells out, from the highest levels of the defense community, how DOD military and civilian personnel should use official social media accounts to best advance the mission of the U.S. military and further instill trust in the credibility of the DOD.
Modernize Your Identity Management Process Through ILM
Modernize Your Identity Management Process Through ILM—GSA’s Office of Government-wide Policy is pleased to announce the Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) Playbook, designed for identity program managers, and enterprise and application architects interested in modernizing their identity management process for federal employees. This practical guide helps federal agencies understand how to shift their focus from managing employee access based on credentials to managing the lifecycle of identities as outlined in section III of OMB Memo 19-17. This will help agencies achieve an enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) system that is agile enough to support technology modernization and aligns with the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) architecture.— via General Services Administration
Senior Executives Part 3: Use Short-term Initiatives To Build Confidence in Long-term Decisions
Senior Executives Part 3: Use Short-term Initiatives To Build Confidence in Long-term Decisions—Deadlines often force executives to make long-term decisions about technology without certainty it’ll be successful. Modern software development strategies help reduce this risk by leveraging a product team to incrementally test software upfront.— via 18F
Community Research Explores Ways To Improve Access To Multilingual Content
A group from the Multilingual Community noticed inconsistencies in access to languages other than English across government websites, and have started working on a solution.
White House and GSA Celebrate Record Years in Prize Competitions, Citizen Science Efforts
White House & GSA Celebrate Record Years in Prize Competitions, Citizen Science Efforts—On July 20, GSA’s Open Innovation Program and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) co-hosted the Open Innovation Forum in partnership with Digital.gov. The event was themed around building equitable partnerships and it celebrated OSTP’s biennial report to Congress that covers the federal government’s prize competitions, crowdsourcing and citizen science initiatives in fiscal years 2019 and 2020.— via General Services Administration
Senior Executives Part 2: Work Outside the Traditional Hierarchy To Set up an Initiative for Success
Senior Executives Part 2: Work Outside the Traditional Hierarchy To Set up an Initiative for Success—In order to ultimately succeed at delivering human-centered software, two critical groups need to work closely together: the product team and a champions group. This is part two in a series on how senior executives and tech teams can be better allies.— via 18F
Webinar Recap: How to Build Your Digital Dream Team
Highlights from the Web Managers Community of Practice panel that shared how to get the right team in place to create a trusted, seamless online experience for all your customers.
How Effective Is Your Communication?
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Partner Toolkit
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes the need for governments, states, territories, tribes, crisis centers, and partners to speak with one voice to ensure there is a clear understanding about what 988 is and how it will work. We encourage you to use these communication outreach materials and build upon them with your community coalitions to meet the needs of your specific audiences.
Senior Executives Are the Allies Tech Teams Need, Part 1
Senior Executives Are the Allies Tech Teams Need, Part 1—Successfully delivering software in government requires people to work differently. Without clear answers for how to do this, well-intentioned executives and teams default to existing processes that risk undermining their own success. This is part one in a series on how to evolve that relationship.— via 18F
What Agile Looks Like at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Agile at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) started with 18F. They reflect on where they are today, five years later.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Help Us Improve Digital Forms
Help Us Improve Digital Forms—People in the U.S. spend over 10 billion hours each year completing government forms. The Office of Evaluation Sciences is working to reduce this burden and make digital forms easier and more accessible. You can help by filling out a short typical form. It will take less than five minutes!— via General Services Administration
Content Design for beta.ADA.gov: Writing for Action and Flexibility
Content Design for beta.ADA.gov: Writing for Action and Flexibility—18F worked with a team at the Department of Justice to redesign ADA.gov. They helped them launch beta.ada.gov, and designed new content for some of the most sought-after ADA topics.— via 18F
Increase Your Impact With Plain Language
An Accidental AI Professional
This feature on Agata Ciesielski, a fellow in the White House Presidential Innovation Fellowship (PIF) Program, highlights the opportunities provided by the program to work on big impact inter-agency problems, such as elevating artificial intelligence solutions.
FedRAMP Penetration Test Guidance Updates
Penetration Test Guidance Updates—These updates were made to address the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. Revisions include updated guidance around existing and new threats as well as addressing attack vectors so they’re in alignment with current best practices. Learn about the four initiatives included in the revision process, and download the new June 2022 PDF.— via FedRAMP
Announcing the CX Maturity Model
Announcing the CX Maturity Model—A recent executive order on improving customer experience and service delivery holds 17 agencies accountable for 36 specific commitments, but it is a call to action for the entire federal government. The Customer Experience Center of Excellence (CX CoE) has created a Maturity Model, a framework to help organizations transform their federal service delivery. It is designed to provide organizations with a deeper understanding of how to measure their maturity level, and tactics to get to the next level. Although the CX Maturity Model does not represent or constitute official guidance, it can help you take your organization’s CX Maturity to the next level. Tailor the model to meet your agency’s specific needs.— via The Centers of Excellence