Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.
[more]
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, April 16, 2010
VITSPA - Position on VITA MSP Contract
The Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) recently awarded a new contact for information technology services that covers staff augmentation and project based work. These services will be supplied to the Commonwealth agencies by I.T. staffing and consulting firms through the Managed Service Provider program administered by ZeroChaos. A review of this contact has raised a number of questions and concerns such as:
• Sub-contracting and partnering.
• Employee data disclosure.
• Company proprietary information disclosure.
• Billing rate.
• Liability.
• Terms and Conditions in general.
The board of the Virginia Information Technology Suppliers Association (VITSPA) is currently engaged with VITA executives and VITA Supply Chain Management in an effort to resolve these questions and concerns for the benefit of the Commonwealth and the I.T. staffing and consulting business community.
The view of VITSPA is that vendor organizations should decline to participate in this program under the terms of the current agreement.
It is hoped that through an open dialogue with both the Commonwealth and ZeroChaos that the VITSPA board will be able to assist in the resolution of these issues and concern and arrive at a program that is of benefit to all.
• Sub-contracting and partnering.
• Employee data disclosure.
• Company proprietary information disclosure.
• Billing rate.
• Liability.
• Terms and Conditions in general.
The board of the Virginia Information Technology Suppliers Association (VITSPA) is currently engaged with VITA executives and VITA Supply Chain Management in an effort to resolve these questions and concerns for the benefit of the Commonwealth and the I.T. staffing and consulting business community.
The view of VITSPA is that vendor organizations should decline to participate in this program under the terms of the current agreement.
It is hoped that through an open dialogue with both the Commonwealth and ZeroChaos that the VITSPA board will be able to assist in the resolution of these issues and concern and arrive at a program that is of benefit to all.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Va., Northrop Grumman reach terms on deal
Virginia and its embattled computer-services contractor, Northrop Grumman, have reached terms on a new deal -- one that will extend their contentious relationship until 2019 and cost taxpayers at least an additional $140 million.
[more]
[more]
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sexual Equality in the Workplace? What Sexual Equality in the Workplace?
I was asked to write a piece on sexism in the workplace. I think it was assumed I'd go in a different direction.
---
There was a time when sexism in the workplace, especially in Virginia, was predictable. It was a "good ol' boy" network where men just felt that woman had different strengths than men, and business was not one of them. The good ol' boy network is still alive and well, but at least in IT shops, there's a new breed of sexism. And it has claws.
It's women running an all-girl club, and burying anyone who doesn't fit into one of two roles: male follower or women.
I know, someone somewhere (probably a woman) is saying I'm just pissing sour grapes. That it can't be as bad as male sexism. Possibly. But the old adage still applies, two wrongs don't make a right.
People's Exhibit A:
In 1998 I helped start a company called [redacted], going under the name of [redacted], . We managed the [redacted] , and assisted in making Virginia internet-wonderful. I started as a webmaster and managed to work my way up to something akin to middle management. I was one of five people who paved the way for all the honeysuckles who came later to have jobs and loaf about drinking boxed wine and playing harps.
One day we hired a young girl to do some customer service stuff. A temp to handle calls, file papers, etc. All the ladies loved her, I liked her, but she knew next to nothing about the internet. After she introduced herself to me and my cubemate, he turned to me and said, "In a year we'll be working for her."
He was wrong. In a year she was a project manager in the shop. In two she had passed us entirely, left the state, and become the General Manager of her own network (the name for the individual business entities under the corporate umbrella). She still knew next to nothing about the internet, marketing, business, or management. Didn't matter. Corporate wanted women to run things, so she shot passed those of us who actually knew the landscape.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she did well. She's a great person. But she didn't get her chance in the sun because of her training, her skills, or her experience. She got it because she was a woman.
People's Exhibit B:
Same company, same story, different woman. Came in after us as a project manager without project management training, within three years she was running her own network for the company. In comparison, I was allowed to have a small fishtank in my cube. I won several Best of the Web awards, First in the Nation awards, and E-Gov pioneer awards. I was published in Government Technology and Style Weekly.
I wasn't going anywhere.
People's Exhibit C:
Same company. Four of the five men who had started the company were still in the positions, more or less, that they had in the beginning. Slightly different titles, but the same gig overall. The fifth man? He was forced to resign when they took his position away and wanted to send him to a state several thousand miles away from his family.
A programmer with average Perl skills and no experience in marketing, project management, or business goes to a developer conference in New Orleans and hangs out with the COO. She comes back a Project Manager. Within a year she's the Director of Marketing. Not only did she pass over three men with more experience, she hopped departments to do it. What she did have going for her was that she became quick friends with the current Director of Marketing, who then went on to be the General Manager. Niether of them had training in marketing, business, or management. But they were both women.
I disagreed with the skipping over of the three men.
I was asked to leave the company. Then blackballed from working in IT for a year.
People's Exhibit D:
I was hired as a Web Manager at the [redacted]. It was a lengthy process consisting of several screenings, committee interviews, and skills tests. They were desperate to get someone onboard who knew something about web portals, and I had been designing and implementing them for ten years. The IT Department was 62 people strong and they had been trying to redesign their web site for the last seven years (yeah, I know. That should have tipped me off. I thought it was hyperbole).
I didn't know it at the time, but they had a great way of getting rid of employees upper management didn't like. They would rescope the position to something the person in question couldn't do, then give them the opportunity to resign. And by "they" I'm referring what came to be known as "The Estrogen Club."
The Director of the IT Department was a woman who really only trusted other women. Don't know why, but that was the long and short of it. She ran the Department like the Bataan Death March run by cheerleaders. She was out during my hiring, it seems, which is how a testosterone container like myself made it in.
From my hire to this blog entry, the following had occured:
Number of Men Fired, Laid Off, or Forced to Resign: 9 plus 1 that was able to switch departments
Number of Men promoted to management positions: 0
Number of Women Fired, Laid Off, or Forced to Resign: 0
Number of Women promoted to management positions: 3
Statistically unlikely, don't you think?
I was replaced after a year and a half by a woman with none of my skills, and none of the skills originally required for the position.
Now, I'm not saying that the same sort of thing doesn't go in in other companies with a male bias. I'm sure it does. I've never seen it in any of the IT shops I've worked at, but I know it's probably there. But you never hear about reverse discrimination; reverse sexism. People act as if such an animal could never exist. And if it does, it's just equality of the sexes, not any sort of discrimination. Or, at the extreme, something that's okay because it was done for so long in the other end of the spectrum.
But something wrong is wrong no matter how you spin it. Treating someone unfairly is bad not because YOU get treated unfairly, but because a PERSON is treated unfairly. No matter the color, religion, or gender. Whether you agree with their politics or share their brand of genitalia.
It's just wrong.
---
There was a time when sexism in the workplace, especially in Virginia, was predictable. It was a "good ol' boy" network where men just felt that woman had different strengths than men, and business was not one of them. The good ol' boy network is still alive and well, but at least in IT shops, there's a new breed of sexism. And it has claws.
It's women running an all-girl club, and burying anyone who doesn't fit into one of two roles: male follower or women.
I know, someone somewhere (probably a woman) is saying I'm just pissing sour grapes. That it can't be as bad as male sexism. Possibly. But the old adage still applies, two wrongs don't make a right.
People's Exhibit A:
In 1998 I helped start a company called [redacted], going under the name of [redacted], . We managed the [redacted] , and assisted in making Virginia internet-wonderful. I started as a webmaster and managed to work my way up to something akin to middle management. I was one of five people who paved the way for all the honeysuckles who came later to have jobs and loaf about drinking boxed wine and playing harps.
One day we hired a young girl to do some customer service stuff. A temp to handle calls, file papers, etc. All the ladies loved her, I liked her, but she knew next to nothing about the internet. After she introduced herself to me and my cubemate, he turned to me and said, "In a year we'll be working for her."
He was wrong. In a year she was a project manager in the shop. In two she had passed us entirely, left the state, and become the General Manager of her own network (the name for the individual business entities under the corporate umbrella). She still knew next to nothing about the internet, marketing, business, or management. Didn't matter. Corporate wanted women to run things, so she shot passed those of us who actually knew the landscape.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she did well. She's a great person. But she didn't get her chance in the sun because of her training, her skills, or her experience. She got it because she was a woman.
People's Exhibit B:
Same company, same story, different woman. Came in after us as a project manager without project management training, within three years she was running her own network for the company. In comparison, I was allowed to have a small fishtank in my cube. I won several Best of the Web awards, First in the Nation awards, and E-Gov pioneer awards. I was published in Government Technology and Style Weekly.
I wasn't going anywhere.
People's Exhibit C:
Same company. Four of the five men who had started the company were still in the positions, more or less, that they had in the beginning. Slightly different titles, but the same gig overall. The fifth man? He was forced to resign when they took his position away and wanted to send him to a state several thousand miles away from his family.
A programmer with average Perl skills and no experience in marketing, project management, or business goes to a developer conference in New Orleans and hangs out with the COO. She comes back a Project Manager. Within a year she's the Director of Marketing. Not only did she pass over three men with more experience, she hopped departments to do it. What she did have going for her was that she became quick friends with the current Director of Marketing, who then went on to be the General Manager. Niether of them had training in marketing, business, or management. But they were both women.
I disagreed with the skipping over of the three men.
I was asked to leave the company. Then blackballed from working in IT for a year.
People's Exhibit D:
I was hired as a Web Manager at the [redacted]. It was a lengthy process consisting of several screenings, committee interviews, and skills tests. They were desperate to get someone onboard who knew something about web portals, and I had been designing and implementing them for ten years. The IT Department was 62 people strong and they had been trying to redesign their web site for the last seven years (yeah, I know. That should have tipped me off. I thought it was hyperbole).
I didn't know it at the time, but they had a great way of getting rid of employees upper management didn't like. They would rescope the position to something the person in question couldn't do, then give them the opportunity to resign. And by "they" I'm referring what came to be known as "The Estrogen Club."
The Director of the IT Department was a woman who really only trusted other women. Don't know why, but that was the long and short of it. She ran the Department like the Bataan Death March run by cheerleaders. She was out during my hiring, it seems, which is how a testosterone container like myself made it in.
From my hire to this blog entry, the following had occured:
Number of Men Fired, Laid Off, or Forced to Resign: 9 plus 1 that was able to switch departments
Number of Men promoted to management positions: 0
Number of Women Fired, Laid Off, or Forced to Resign: 0
Number of Women promoted to management positions: 3
Statistically unlikely, don't you think?
I was replaced after a year and a half by a woman with none of my skills, and none of the skills originally required for the position.
Now, I'm not saying that the same sort of thing doesn't go in in other companies with a male bias. I'm sure it does. I've never seen it in any of the IT shops I've worked at, but I know it's probably there. But you never hear about reverse discrimination; reverse sexism. People act as if such an animal could never exist. And if it does, it's just equality of the sexes, not any sort of discrimination. Or, at the extreme, something that's okay because it was done for so long in the other end of the spectrum.
But something wrong is wrong no matter how you spin it. Treating someone unfairly is bad not because YOU get treated unfairly, but because a PERSON is treated unfairly. No matter the color, religion, or gender. Whether you agree with their politics or share their brand of genitalia.
It's just wrong.
A new services and SOW contract vehicle with the Commonwealth of Virginia - Zerochaos
Yesterday and today the supplier community is being introduced to Zerochaos the new MSP for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Staff augmentation and project work (SOWs) of $2 million or less will be the initial business passing through Zerochaos' web tools.
--
Anyone have any experience with Zerochaos? I've only talked to one person so far who has, and it was a lukewarm review.
Staff augmentation and project work (SOWs) of $2 million or less will be the initial business passing through Zerochaos' web tools.
--
Anyone have any experience with Zerochaos? I've only talked to one person so far who has, and it was a lukewarm review.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Law Restructures Virginia Information Technologies Agency
Virginia's CIO has a new boss -- Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell signed legislation Monday, March 15, that puts the state's CIO directly under the governor's authority, taking that power away from the Information Technology Investment Board -- the independent body that formerly oversaw the CIO's performance and hired for the position.
Some observers believe the move could shake up the Virginia Information Technologies Agency's troubled outsourcing agreement with Northrop Grumman, a 10-year, $2.3 billion IT services and management contract that's the largest of its kind among the nation's state governments.
[more]
McDonnell signed legislation Monday, March 15, that puts the state's CIO directly under the governor's authority, taking that power away from the Information Technology Investment Board -- the independent body that formerly oversaw the CIO's performance and hired for the position.
Some observers believe the move could shake up the Virginia Information Technologies Agency's troubled outsourcing agreement with Northrop Grumman, a 10-year, $2.3 billion IT services and management contract that's the largest of its kind among the nation's state governments.
[more]
Monday, November 02, 2009
Think We Pay Them Too Much?
After looking at Virginia.gov's photos, I'm wondering if the taxpayers and VITA pay them too much? Naw. My harpist is just as good...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Kaine: IT agency should report to governor
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine yesterday expressed concern about the level of information-technology customer service provided to state agencies, in a letter to several state lawmakers.
Kaine was responding to a letter that the chairmen of the legislature's two money committees and the chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission sent this week. The lawmakers said they cannot support any modifications to the state's $2.3 billion, 10-year contract with Northrop Grumman for IT services until a pending study is complete.
Kaine said he has no role in contract negotiations and cited the "unusual oversight structure" in which an independent panel -- the Information Technology Investment Board -- was created to oversee the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.
He reiterated that he believes the IT agency that serves executive agencies should report to the governor.
"No volunteer board, regardless of its collective talent . . . can offer the level of oversight that an elected executive with a full professional staff can provide," he wrote.
Kaine also said he demands "high performance" from agency heads but that their performance is based on a solid technology program. While customer-service problems are not unexpected with such a large project, he wrote, issues are addressed "less efficiently and effectively" when the agency delivering IT services is outside executive supervision.
He said one of his hopes is that the JLARC study may lead to an improved governance model.
Kaine encouraged leaders of the committees to arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible to discuss issues related to VITA.
Kaine was responding to a letter that the chairmen of the legislature's two money committees and the chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission sent this week. The lawmakers said they cannot support any modifications to the state's $2.3 billion, 10-year contract with Northrop Grumman for IT services until a pending study is complete.
Kaine said he has no role in contract negotiations and cited the "unusual oversight structure" in which an independent panel -- the Information Technology Investment Board -- was created to oversee the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.
He reiterated that he believes the IT agency that serves executive agencies should report to the governor.
"No volunteer board, regardless of its collective talent . . . can offer the level of oversight that an elected executive with a full professional staff can provide," he wrote.
Kaine also said he demands "high performance" from agency heads but that their performance is based on a solid technology program. While customer-service problems are not unexpected with such a large project, he wrote, issues are addressed "less efficiently and effectively" when the agency delivering IT services is outside executive supervision.
He said one of his hopes is that the JLARC study may lead to an improved governance model.
Kaine encouraged leaders of the committees to arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible to discuss issues related to VITA.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Va. Senate panel to investigate VITA
JEFF E. SCHAPIRO TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: June 16, 2009
Lawmakers will investigate the state's troubled information technology agency, spurred by the removal of its boss and questions about the $2.3 billion Virginia is paying Northrop Grumman for computer services.
A state Senate panel that oversees government operations will conduct the inquiry and report to the Senate Finance Committee, whose chairman, Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, ordered the review.
"I believe the full committee would benefit from a discussion of the issues and allegations," Colgan said in a letter Friday to Sen. Yvonne B. Miller, D-Norfolk, head of the general-government subcommittee.
The investigation, disclosed yesterday, follows the removal Wednesday of Lemuel C. Stewart Jr. as director of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. He was dumped after he alleged that Northrop Grumman is failing to provide the state with full computer, software and maintenance services.
"We have nothing to hide, and we have no problem answering the legislature's questions," said James F. McGuirk II, chairman of the Information Technology Investment Board, which voted to drop Stewart from his $189,280-a-year job as chief information officer.
Christy Whitman, a spokeswoman for Northrop Grumman, said the company has "not been contacted about the investigation, but we continue to support the customer," a reference to VITA.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to discuss the controversy engulfing VITA at a meeting Thursday. The money panel will hear from the staff of the General Assembly's watchdog agency, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which has been monitoring implementation of the 10-year contract with Northrop Grumman.
Miller's subcommittee begins its work at a meeting June 29. It was not immediately clear when the subcommittee would turn over its findings to the Finance Committee.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights and the JLARC chairman, said the concern about VITA -- an initiative of Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner -- is growing.
"We hoped when VITA came in, it would be a little removed from politics, and I think it's almost gotten to be the opposite," Cox said.
Republicans have expressed alarm over the selection of Secretary of Technology Leonard M. "Len" Pomata as Stewart's temporary successor. They question whether a political appointee of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine can serve simultaneously as head of an agency that, by law, is independent of the executive branch.
Kaine defended the selection and said Pomata will bring to VITA "the skill set that's needed at this point."
Under VITA, the Warner administration envisioned consolidating IT services previously left to individual agencies. The umbrella approach, Warner claimed, could save taxpayers $100 million.
Stewart apparently had expressed concerns for more than a year about the Northrop Grumman contract and had withheld payments to the company, usually in amounts of $600,000 to $700,000, on items such as modifications to VITA offices in Chesterfield and Russell counties and a procedures manual for employees.
Because of his continuing questions about the adequacy of documentation by Northrop Grumman in the bills its submits to the state, Stewart urged freezing a monthly payment of just more than $14 million. That recommendation preceded his removal.
The Northrop Grumman contract, now in its third year, is the biggest privatization pact issued by Virginia government. The contract is financed with fees imposed on agencies for IT services. But the charges are insufficient, resulting in a continuing shortfall -- $6.2 million, according to Stewart's final briefing to the VITA governing board.
The dispute over VITA is being monitored by the gubernatorial candidates, Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell. As legislators, both backed its creation.
Published: June 16, 2009
Lawmakers will investigate the state's troubled information technology agency, spurred by the removal of its boss and questions about the $2.3 billion Virginia is paying Northrop Grumman for computer services.
A state Senate panel that oversees government operations will conduct the inquiry and report to the Senate Finance Committee, whose chairman, Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, ordered the review.
"I believe the full committee would benefit from a discussion of the issues and allegations," Colgan said in a letter Friday to Sen. Yvonne B. Miller, D-Norfolk, head of the general-government subcommittee.
The investigation, disclosed yesterday, follows the removal Wednesday of Lemuel C. Stewart Jr. as director of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. He was dumped after he alleged that Northrop Grumman is failing to provide the state with full computer, software and maintenance services.
"We have nothing to hide, and we have no problem answering the legislature's questions," said James F. McGuirk II, chairman of the Information Technology Investment Board, which voted to drop Stewart from his $189,280-a-year job as chief information officer.
Christy Whitman, a spokeswoman for Northrop Grumman, said the company has "not been contacted about the investigation, but we continue to support the customer," a reference to VITA.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to discuss the controversy engulfing VITA at a meeting Thursday. The money panel will hear from the staff of the General Assembly's watchdog agency, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which has been monitoring implementation of the 10-year contract with Northrop Grumman.
Miller's subcommittee begins its work at a meeting June 29. It was not immediately clear when the subcommittee would turn over its findings to the Finance Committee.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights and the JLARC chairman, said the concern about VITA -- an initiative of Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner -- is growing.
"We hoped when VITA came in, it would be a little removed from politics, and I think it's almost gotten to be the opposite," Cox said.
Republicans have expressed alarm over the selection of Secretary of Technology Leonard M. "Len" Pomata as Stewart's temporary successor. They question whether a political appointee of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine can serve simultaneously as head of an agency that, by law, is independent of the executive branch.
Kaine defended the selection and said Pomata will bring to VITA "the skill set that's needed at this point."
Under VITA, the Warner administration envisioned consolidating IT services previously left to individual agencies. The umbrella approach, Warner claimed, could save taxpayers $100 million.
Stewart apparently had expressed concerns for more than a year about the Northrop Grumman contract and had withheld payments to the company, usually in amounts of $600,000 to $700,000, on items such as modifications to VITA offices in Chesterfield and Russell counties and a procedures manual for employees.
Because of his continuing questions about the adequacy of documentation by Northrop Grumman in the bills its submits to the state, Stewart urged freezing a monthly payment of just more than $14 million. That recommendation preceded his removal.
The Northrop Grumman contract, now in its third year, is the biggest privatization pact issued by Virginia government. The contract is financed with fees imposed on agencies for IT services. But the charges are insufficient, resulting in a continuing shortfall -- $6.2 million, according to Stewart's final briefing to the VITA governing board.
The dispute over VITA is being monitored by the gubernatorial candidates, Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell. As legislators, both backed its creation.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
IT deal no money saver yet for state
Virginia taxpayers may have to wait a decade or more to see if the state's $2 billion switch to privately run information technology services saves money.
A report yesterday by the General Assembly's investigative arm said the transition -- started in 2005 -- has been slow and difficult.
[entire article]
A report yesterday by the General Assembly's investigative arm said the transition -- started in 2005 -- has been slow and difficult.
[entire article]
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
BOW 2007
Secretary of Technology Announces National Web Awards
~ Virginia receives more honors than any other state ~
RICHMOND - Secretary of Technology Aneesh P. Chopra today announced that Virginia’s Web site and three state agencies have received prestigious Digital Government Achievement Awards from the Center for Digital Government.
The Center recognized the state’s official Web site, http://www.virginia.gov/, managed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, as a top Best of the Web winner.
Other state honorees include the Council on Virginia’s Future, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.
Additionally, Fairfax County ranked first in the nation in the county category and Virginia Beach received an honorable mention in the city category of Best of The Web.The Digital Government Achievement Award (DGAA) is a national program that recognizes outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications that enhance information interactions, transactions and/or services. The Best of Web awards program recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals based on their innovation, Web-delivery of public services, efficiency, economy, and functionality for improved citizen access.
“Across Virginia, we are using information technology to develop innovative and cost effective tools to improve customer service, management and business processes,” said Secretary Chopra. “These prestigious national awards for our state Web site, our agencies and our localities demonstrate our commitment to improve citizen service and the way we manage government by working smarter, not by spending more.”
Virginia.gov, the state’s official Web site, moved up in the Best of the Web rankings from fourth to third place among the 50 states. This year, all Virginia agencies worked closely with Virginia.gov in a pioneering partnership with Google to simplify and improve citizen access to government information via the Web, and this honor clearly reflects their work. (Read the Governor’s press release about the Google partnership.) Other changes to the state Web site enhanced the user experience through the most current advancements in technology, best practices and design. Virginia.gov is the only portal in the nation to have ranked in the Best of the Web top five every year it has been eligible to compete since 2001; it is managed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency through a public-private partnership with Virginia Interactive.
"2007 was an amazing year for our Best of Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. The competition was fierce and there were many applications and portals that were top notch. It’s clear that America’s state and local governments are unrelenting in their pursuit of excellence for the citizens they serve.”
Thanks to its three outstanding agency project wins, Virginia received more honors than any other state in the 2007 recognition program.
The Council on Virginia’s Future was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government to Citizen category for its Web site, “Virginia Performs,” http://www.vaperforms.virginia.gov/. Virginia Performs is a performance accountability system which ties rich data from many sources directly to the business of state government, greatly improving the way Virginia measures progress and reports results. It provides seamless transparency, supports broad policy decisions in pursuit of long-term objectives and engages citizens in informed dialogue about Virginia's future.
The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government to Business category for its WaterTrans application for the Division of Mined Land Reclamation (DMLR). It provides the division and its customers with information critical to the development, permitting, regulation and operation of surface mining operations in Virginia. This application provides DMLR staff and customers, with the most up to date information in an easy-to-use and integrated fashion and is part of DMME's long-term commitment to provide cost effective information management tools that bring value to the agency and its customers.
The Department of Transportation’s Integrated Project Management system (iPM) was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government Internal category. It is a joint technology and business effort that provides a state of the art integrated platform to manage transportation projects. iPM collects data from multiple applications and presents it as meaningful information via Web pages. iPM has improved access to project information, simplified existing work processes, improved data quality and accuracy, enabled changes in business processes, and ensured simplistic system maintenance and usability.Winners will be acknowledged at the 11th Anniversary Awards Gala in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 21, 2007. More information is available online at the Center for Digital Government’s Web site, http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/surveys.php?survey=cdg_bow.
~ Virginia receives more honors than any other state ~
RICHMOND - Secretary of Technology Aneesh P. Chopra today announced that Virginia’s Web site and three state agencies have received prestigious Digital Government Achievement Awards from the Center for Digital Government.
The Center recognized the state’s official Web site, http://www.virginia.gov/, managed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, as a top Best of the Web winner.
Other state honorees include the Council on Virginia’s Future, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.
Additionally, Fairfax County ranked first in the nation in the county category and Virginia Beach received an honorable mention in the city category of Best of The Web.The Digital Government Achievement Award (DGAA) is a national program that recognizes outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications that enhance information interactions, transactions and/or services. The Best of Web awards program recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals based on their innovation, Web-delivery of public services, efficiency, economy, and functionality for improved citizen access.
“Across Virginia, we are using information technology to develop innovative and cost effective tools to improve customer service, management and business processes,” said Secretary Chopra. “These prestigious national awards for our state Web site, our agencies and our localities demonstrate our commitment to improve citizen service and the way we manage government by working smarter, not by spending more.”
Virginia.gov, the state’s official Web site, moved up in the Best of the Web rankings from fourth to third place among the 50 states. This year, all Virginia agencies worked closely with Virginia.gov in a pioneering partnership with Google to simplify and improve citizen access to government information via the Web, and this honor clearly reflects their work. (Read the Governor’s press release about the Google partnership.) Other changes to the state Web site enhanced the user experience through the most current advancements in technology, best practices and design. Virginia.gov is the only portal in the nation to have ranked in the Best of the Web top five every year it has been eligible to compete since 2001; it is managed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency through a public-private partnership with Virginia Interactive.
"2007 was an amazing year for our Best of Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. The competition was fierce and there were many applications and portals that were top notch. It’s clear that America’s state and local governments are unrelenting in their pursuit of excellence for the citizens they serve.”
Thanks to its three outstanding agency project wins, Virginia received more honors than any other state in the 2007 recognition program.
The Council on Virginia’s Future was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government to Citizen category for its Web site, “Virginia Performs,” http://www.vaperforms.virginia.gov/. Virginia Performs is a performance accountability system which ties rich data from many sources directly to the business of state government, greatly improving the way Virginia measures progress and reports results. It provides seamless transparency, supports broad policy decisions in pursuit of long-term objectives and engages citizens in informed dialogue about Virginia's future.
The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government to Business category for its WaterTrans application for the Division of Mined Land Reclamation (DMLR). It provides the division and its customers with information critical to the development, permitting, regulation and operation of surface mining operations in Virginia. This application provides DMLR staff and customers, with the most up to date information in an easy-to-use and integrated fashion and is part of DMME's long-term commitment to provide cost effective information management tools that bring value to the agency and its customers.
The Department of Transportation’s Integrated Project Management system (iPM) was honored with the Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government Internal category. It is a joint technology and business effort that provides a state of the art integrated platform to manage transportation projects. iPM collects data from multiple applications and presents it as meaningful information via Web pages. iPM has improved access to project information, simplified existing work processes, improved data quality and accuracy, enabled changes in business processes, and ensured simplistic system maintenance and usability.Winners will be acknowledged at the 11th Anniversary Awards Gala in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 21, 2007. More information is available online at the Center for Digital Government’s Web site, http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/surveys.php?survey=cdg_bow.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Virginia town may ignore abuser fees
FRONT ROYAL -- The town of Front Royal may ignore Virginia's new controversial abusive driver fees.Town council is scheduled to vote today on a resolution that would prevent Front Royal, which is North of Harrisonburg, from enforcing the fees -- except for drunken driving.
The fees went into effect July first. They are added to court costs and range from 900 dollars to three-thousand dollars.The fees apply to charges such as reckless driving, drunken driving and felonious acts that involve driving such as hit-and-run or vehicular manslaughter. But they're so unpopular that some Front Royal council members don't want their police force to be associated with them.
The sponsor of the measure, Councilman Thomas Sayre, says the fees are unfair to the town's 14-thousand residents and drivers who pass through Front Royal's two-lane highways.Under the Front Royal proposal, people cited for driving under the influence would still be subject to the state fees. The resolution would apply only to tickets written by the Front Royal police.
The fees went into effect July first. They are added to court costs and range from 900 dollars to three-thousand dollars.The fees apply to charges such as reckless driving, drunken driving and felonious acts that involve driving such as hit-and-run or vehicular manslaughter. But they're so unpopular that some Front Royal council members don't want their police force to be associated with them.
The sponsor of the measure, Councilman Thomas Sayre, says the fees are unfair to the town's 14-thousand residents and drivers who pass through Front Royal's two-lane highways.Under the Front Royal proposal, people cited for driving under the influence would still be subject to the state fees. The resolution would apply only to tickets written by the Front Royal police.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Loudoun County Hyperlocal
The Washington Post, well known for its detailed coverage of the White House and global affairs, will introduce a Web site today with news and other information for a rarefied group: people who live in Loudoun County, Va., population 272,000.
The site, LoudounExtra.com, is an experiment in hyperlocal news; it will have church schedules, restaurant menus and real-time high school football scores. The county, in northern Virginia, includes Dulles International Airport and the town of Leesburg.
“There will be stories about things that normally would not make it into the pages of The Washington Post, like mailboxes being knocked down,” said Rob Curley, vice president of product development for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. “It has every Rotary meeting, every Bible study group. It is very local.”
Readers will be able to download restaurant guides and other content from the site onto their iPods, phones and even video-game consoles. In late August, a new feature will let readers click on a street address and see all the closest events and news nearby.
If LoudounExtra catches on, The Post may add sites for other counties or towns in the Washington area as it tries to increase online advertising revenue.
“Local retail advertising has not been as successful on the Web as it has been in print,” said Caroline H. Little, chief executive and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. “I think we’ll have a much greater opportunity to reach out to smaller advertisers who are not going on Washingtonpost.com.”
The Post will be treading where others have failed. Recently, Backfence.com, a group of sites focused on communities around Washington, announced that it will be closing in a few days.
Ms. Little said that The Post’s new site should fare better because of its deep newsroom resources and built-in audience in Loudoun County. The paper publishes a section about the county twice a week.
“Most hyperlocal sites are 100 percent community publishing sites,” Mr. Curley said. “This is 1 percent community publishing.”
[read the original article]
The site, LoudounExtra.com, is an experiment in hyperlocal news; it will have church schedules, restaurant menus and real-time high school football scores. The county, in northern Virginia, includes Dulles International Airport and the town of Leesburg.
“There will be stories about things that normally would not make it into the pages of The Washington Post, like mailboxes being knocked down,” said Rob Curley, vice president of product development for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. “It has every Rotary meeting, every Bible study group. It is very local.”
Readers will be able to download restaurant guides and other content from the site onto their iPods, phones and even video-game consoles. In late August, a new feature will let readers click on a street address and see all the closest events and news nearby.
If LoudounExtra catches on, The Post may add sites for other counties or towns in the Washington area as it tries to increase online advertising revenue.
“Local retail advertising has not been as successful on the Web as it has been in print,” said Caroline H. Little, chief executive and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. “I think we’ll have a much greater opportunity to reach out to smaller advertisers who are not going on Washingtonpost.com.”
The Post will be treading where others have failed. Recently, Backfence.com, a group of sites focused on communities around Washington, announced that it will be closing in a few days.
Ms. Little said that The Post’s new site should fare better because of its deep newsroom resources and built-in audience in Loudoun County. The paper publishes a section about the county twice a week.
“Most hyperlocal sites are 100 percent community publishing sites,” Mr. Curley said. “This is 1 percent community publishing.”
[read the original article]
Sunday, July 08, 2007
How About Dangerous Owners?
The Dangerous Dog Registry provides a mechanism for consumers to determine if dangerous dogs reside in their neighborhoods and for local animal control officials to post information about dogs that have been declared dangerous by the local court. Consumer may click here for a registry of dangerous dogs. Jurisdictions should click here to enter information about dangerous dogs; this page requires a password to enter.
Something about this feels wrong, but I'm not sure what.
Updated: Here's an example of one of the "Dangerous Dogs." The infamous "Golden Retriever of Death." The first picture is clearly a PR photo, but the second is a true representation of the diabolical nature of these creatures called, "Man's Best Friend."
Monday, June 18, 2007
Webmasters Meet
It looks like at long last someone is hosting the Webmasters meetings again. Three cheers! It's been years since we last had a meeting of the minds under that venue. This may be the first positive thing I've ever said about VITA (feel free to correct me on that point).
Hopefully this is the beginning of a real dialogue between those that call the shots and those that fire the actual bullets. Come prepared to ask questions, those of you invited. Things I've seen and heard lately that should be brought up are:
Hopefully this is the beginning of a real dialogue between those that call the shots and those that fire the actual bullets. Come prepared to ask questions, those of you invited. Things I've seen and heard lately that should be brought up are:
- The service distributor vs the service receiver view of the new banner
- The inconsistant implementation of the standards. Look at the following sites (not picking on anyone, just grabbing some with different looks) and compare their implementation of the standards: http://www.voc.state.va.us/index.html , http://www.boa.virginia.gov/ , http://www.governor.virginia.gov/ , http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal2/ , http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/ , http://www.ehealth.vi.virginia.gov/
- How often will the banner and related standards change? And how much notice will Webmasters get?
- What *really* happens if someone refuses to use the standards?
- Whatever happened to the statewide content management system plans from way back?
- Who ate all the apple danishes?
Friday, June 01, 2007
Virginia.gov again
Well, it's that time of year again it seems. The new state banner designed by Virginia.gov - which almost everyone hates other than Virginia.gov and the SOTECH - is to have been live by today, June 1. You'd think Virginia.gov would have been one of the early adopters, but they are just now rolling out their new site. Which looks pretty much like their old site, but broken.
This raises some questions, common ones it seems.
This raises some questions, common ones it seems.
- Why does Virginia.gov have so much trouble getting their site live? It's not that big a site, and they're the Web experts. We know they're the experts because they keep telling us. Yet time and time again they can't get their act together.
- Why do they get to be different? Everyone else has to follow the Standard and put out the same banner. But Virginia.gov, who came up with the thing, gets to go off in a different direction. Take a look: no goofy duplicated searches, and they use whatever colors they want when we have to use black.
- Is "burnt urine" such a wonderful color that they can't seem to break away from it?
This time I'm even going to suggest a solution. It's one that has worked very well for us in the past. It's called "training."
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Virginia Joins the Climate Registry
Joining 33 other states in a national effort to track greenhouse gas emissions by large industries, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has signed onto The Climate Registry. The goal is to replace the patchwork reporting system with standardized and verified measurements of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that can inform the debate over global climate change.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Expect the Best = Expect Delays
Virginia's government will no longer be told to expect the best from the state's IT agency.
The Virginia Information Technologies Agency has quietly dropped "Expect the best" as its signature slogan.
While saying the internal criticism from customer agencies did not prompt the change, the state's IT organization admits its consolidation and outsourcing has been a rough road.
"It will get tougher before it gets easier," said Lemuel C. Stewart Jr., the state's chief information officer, in VITA's customer newsletter this month. "Expect delays."
[entire article]
The Virginia Information Technologies Agency has quietly dropped "Expect the best" as its signature slogan.
While saying the internal criticism from customer agencies did not prompt the change, the state's IT organization admits its consolidation and outsourcing has been a rough road.
"It will get tougher before it gets easier," said Lemuel C. Stewart Jr., the state's chief information officer, in VITA's customer newsletter this month. "Expect delays."
[entire article]
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
WTF
While there were two Easter Bunnies walking around the White House Easter Egg Roll, only one was the Easter Bunny. The other was the Vice Easter Bunny, who was really running the Egg Roll.
The “puppet president” Easter Bunny was played by 30-year-old Eugene J. Huang of Beverly Hills, pictured above. He’s a White House fellow focusing on “macroeconomic policy and technology, competitiveness and innovation.”
According to our Wonkette Operative, Huang “has no sense of humor” and was given the humiliating duty as a punishment.
More hilarious furry pictures, after the hop hop hop (jump).
The comments section is even more harsh on our former SOTECH. Nothing like going back to school to ruin one's opinion of themselves...
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