Focusing on communication-centric tech investments can enhance investment outcomes
In the modernization of federal applications, effective communication and collaboration among departmental stakeholders are key to successful implementation and adoption. According to Darreisha Harper, Federal Portfolio Manager for Tyler Technologies, this includes knowledge workers, agency champions, and leadership.
Harper emphasizes the importance of early communication with knowledge workers, who hold crucial insights into operational details. By gaining insights from them about processes and pain points early, we can frame the change effectively, she explains. Including agency champions, individuals who can facilitate conversations and build consensus among staff, can help fuel conversations and foster collaboration.
Collaboration supports faster, more informed decision-making by leveraging the diverse perspectives and expertise of stakeholders. Real-time collaboration tools, rather than email-based file sharing, improve coordination and responsiveness during modernization. Internal champions and leadership buy-in are essential to overcoming resource constraints and skills gaps, with leadership commitment securing funding and prioritization, and agency champions helping foster adoption and serving as liaisons to knowledge workers.
Clear, ongoing communication helps manage change management challenges, reduces resistance, and enables phased rollouts that allow incremental adaptation, troubleshooting, and risk mitigation. Data-driven collaboration across teams leveraging actionable insights improves outcomes and continuous learning post-implementation.
Having the right stakeholders in working groups, including policy, IT, operations, program staff, and subject matter experts, is essential. Working with a private-sector partner who understands the nuances of government can be a significant asset when it comes to identifying proven, right-fit solutions.
Remembering people's names can help everyone feel more comfortable speaking up and offering suggestions, according to Harper. Making program and outcomes data accessible not only to data teams but also to program staff and leadership can help generate buy-in and facilitate change. Looking at how service delivery and program outcomes are changing can help evaluate the rate of adoption.
Open communication helps agencies better understand the needs of knowledge workers and how new technology can best support those needs. Open conversation is important at higher levels of the agency to set an example for the kind of conversations leadership hopes to facilitate. Once a new system has been implemented, framing the change in terms of workload, not just outcome, can encourage adoption among knowledge workers. Quality assurance and quality control checks offer another source of insight about the effectiveness of the new system.
Integration of data accessibility helps ensure that data is being used not just as a reporting tool, but as a vehicle for starting conversations and solving problems. Focusing on outcomes, not just technology, is key when it comes to launching a major transformation. Having an established baseline of service delivery or program outcomes from before the change is helpful for comparison.
In summary, fostering an environment of transparent, frequent communication and collaboration among all stakeholders ensures alignment on objectives, addresses operational realities, manages change proactively, and leverages expertise to drive enduring adoption and optimization of modernized applications in federal agencies.
The importance of including business professionals and technology experts in working groups for modernizing federal applications cannot be overstated, as they possess valuable insights and diverse perspectives essential for creating effective solutions. By actively engaging with knowledge workers and harnessing the power of real-time collaboration tools, agencies can streamline decision-making processes and drive successful implementation. Effective communication with all stakeholders, including agency champions, leadership, and technology specialists, is vital for managing change, setting realistic expectations, and ensuring the optimization of new technology in federal business operations.
