# Presentation: 322624

## eGovernment Working Group Meeting

Chris Niedermayer, USDA eGovernment Executive

- Chris Niedermayer, USDA eGovernment Executive

## Agenda

**Smart Choice Update**
**Agency Updates – Round 2**
**Q&A**
**Next Steps and Wrap-up **

**Agenda**

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Smart Choice Update—Select Business Cases / Implementation Planning Gameboard

- Educate stakeholders
- Identify best practice requirements
- Review best practices with mission areas
- Gather agency specific and strategic functional requirements
- Synthesize functional requirements and disseminate for review
- Finalize functional requirements

**Define Select-Level Business Case Section  Templates**
- Review CPIC guide
- Create templates
- Obtain sign-off from IRM
- Publish final templates

**1**

- Marketing and Communications

- Document Best Practices for completing select-level business case

- *Includes Workplan, Project Scorecard, Status Reports, quality assurance and general project management activities

**2**

- Project Management*

**September 2002**

**October 2002**

**November 2002**

**Dec 2002**

**Smart Choice Update—Select Business Cases / Implementation Planning Gameboard**

**Define Technical Requirements**
- Technical Requirements
- Security Plan
- Telecommunications Plan
- Analysis of Existing Systems (if applicable)
- Technical Architecture Plan
- eGovernment Plan

**3**

**Enterprise Solutions Center Planning**
- Define enterprise services to be offered based (in part) on functional and technical requirements
- Architecture schema to support enterprise services
- Organizational requirements, governance, and communications to support enterprise services

**Complete Cost/Benefit Analysis**

**Complete Risk Assessment**

**Complete Implementation**
**Project Planning**

**4**

**Obtain Approval & Submit**
- Complete OMB 300
- Enter in to ITIPS
- Obtain approval from CPIC
- Obtain approval from EITIRB
- Submit to OMB

**6**

**Finalize Business Cases**
- Complete executive summary and one page overviews
- Disseminate to agencies for final review and comments
- Complete final drafts of all sections

**5**

## Agenda

**Agenda**

**Welcome**
**Smart Choice Update**
**Agency Updates – Round 2**
**Q&A**
**Next Steps and Wrap-up **

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Agency Updates

**Today’s agencies:**
- Agricultural Marketing Service
- Agricultural Research Service
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Food and Nutrition Service
- Food Safety and Inspection Service
- National Agricultural Statistics Service
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Rural Utilities Service

## Agricultural Marketing Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:** Metastorm E-Work Business Process Management
**Purpose: **GPEA Compliance
**Stakeholder groups involved***:* Citizens, business partners, and employees
**Benefits:** Electronic submission and workflow processing of information collections
**Time/cost to create:** $225,000 for HW, SW, and integration services
**Lessons learned and future direction:** Piloting as part of AMS e-government interface
**Links to eGov Program** *(Smart Choices, Tactical Plans, etc.): *Links to e-authentication and Content and Information Management
**Awards and achievements:** In pilot phase
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:** This system has to integrate tightly with the knowledge worker’s corporate portal desk top and the agency’s electronic record-keeping system to be successful. This integration has been fairly easy through the use of a corporate portal that incorporates the product’s browser-based screens as web parts.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

**Name of highlighted initiative: **Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS)
**Purpose:  **
- Web-based system used throughout the 100+ ARS research locations to collect, analyze, review, and report research program information.
- Documents research objectives, anticipated outcomes, research accomplishments, budgetary data, and personnel involved
- Selected research data from ARIS is made available to the public through the National Program Staff web page (http://_[www.nps.ars.usda.gov](http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov/)_) and the Current Research Information System (CRIS) web page (http://cris.csrees.usda.gov)
**Stakeholder groups involved:**
- ARS staff, scientists, and program managers
- Agricultural institutions and businesses
- Academic and research institutions
- Public

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

**Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS)** – (continued)
**Benefits:**
- -Provide ARS research and program management staff and all other stakeholders with a “one-stop shop” for all agency research information.
- -Integrate ARS project management information with resource planning.
**Time/cost to create:**
- -Phase I – Start July 2000 – Completed March 2002
- -Phase II – Start April 2002 – Completed TBD
- Costs through FY 2002 - $3.9 million
- Projected costs FY 2003 – 2004 - $2.6 million
**Lessons learned and future direction:**
- -Break down project into manageable phases with deliverables
- Integrate existing “stovepipe” systems into ARIS (budget allocation and planning, obligations, etc.)
- Expand reporting and analysis (what-if) capabilities
- Expand functionality based on business area analysis
**Links to eGov Program:** * *
*	**	**- *Included in ARS eGov Tactical Plan

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

**Awards and achievements:**
- Numerous performance and team awards have been given for eGov initiatives
- Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) and Digital Desktop Library have been recognized as best practices.
**eGov Expos or other activities:**
- Several employees have attended eGov sponsored seminars and programs
- Conducted eGov presentations at several Agency Area Offices and Research Locations
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:**
- Lack of centralized strategic planning and funding of IT goals and initiatives
- Autonomous culture of ARS
- Some Agency organizations have been more supportive and involved than others
- Need to better take advantage of opportunities to communication eGov goals, objectives, and “what’s in it for us” to Agency management and get them on board.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:**  Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance & Tracking
**Purpose:  **Centralized Electronic System to apply for, issue & verify phytosanitary export certificates with a long term goal of electronic transmission with trading partners.
**Stakeholder groups involved ***(citizens, business partners, or employees):*  Federal officials, State/county officials, Citizens, Export industry
**Benefits:** Easily track and verify export certificates, Expedite Exports to foreign markets, Reduction in fraudulent/counterfeit certificates
**Time/cost to create:** $10.77 million over 6 years
**Links to eGov Program** *(Smart Choices, Tactical Plans, etc.):  *Online Trade Assistance and eAuthentication
**Awards and achievements:** None
**eGov Expos or other activities ***(past or future)***:** None
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:  **Funding and implementing centralized system throughout a distributed environment.  Funding and implementing eAuthentication in a timely fashion.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Food and Nutrition Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:** Survey to Address Internal Effectiveness & Efficiency (IEE)
**Purpose: **To identify and focus attention on those internal efficiency and effectiveness areas neglected for several years.
**Stakeholder groups involved: **Employees (directly), Business Partners and Citizens (indirectly)
**Benefits:** Highlighted in-house shortcomings and needed improvements (some addressed with end-of-year funds); Began the process of involving whole agency in eGovernment efforts; Heightened awareness of Agency and Department eGovernment efforts
**Time/cost to create:** Negligible.  (The eGovernment Steering Committee used talent and contacts within the group to formulate survey questions, secure appropriate approvals, select participants, and distribute and analyze the survey).
**Lessons learned:**
- There is a lack of understanding or complete lack of knowledge of programs, tools, and services available within FNS (employees suggested tools that are already in place)
- FNS has 4 major categories of concern:  Productivity, information access, communication, and existing resources (improvements and/or training in existing software packages, improved storage capacity, etc.)
**Future direction: **First step is to improve employee communication tool.  A subcommittee has been formed and is on the fast track to redesign intranet to be employee-centered.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Food and Nutrition Service

**Links to eGov Program:** Addresses the IEE type of eGovernment opportunities.  Also, solidifies, for those not closely connected, the importance of working with the Department for those solutions deemed Smart Choices or Presidential initiatives.  Several survey participants commented on a need to improve the information access and choose an electronic signature solution.  Both of these are Smart Choices (eAuthentication & Content/Information Management) being developed by the department.  As a result, field representatives are working diligently with HQ to prepare FNS to be one of the early pilots when the Department is ready to test solutions.
**Awards and achievements:** Primary eGov contacts recognized by FNS Deputy Administrator for Management at Agency’s Awards Program (Q3).
**eGov Expos or other activities ***(past or future)***:** Going Digital:  Designing the Infrastructure of E-Government (Thursday, November 14, 2002, Key Bridge Marriott, Arlington, VA)
**General eGovernment challenges: **Selling eGovernment as a culture change; Moving fast enough; Balancing each participants time between eGov duties and regular job responsibilities; Keeping all players aware and preventing overlap with Smart Choices
**General eGovernment lessons learned: **Look for quick victories to keep interest high; involve others (as many and as soon as possible)

## Food Safety and Inspection Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:** Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS)
**Purpose:  **The new comprehensive _Consumer Complaint Monitoring System_ is a centralized web-based surveillance system designed to document and track all consumer complaints made at any FSIS site nationwide.  FSIS uses consumer complaints to help identify unsafe meat, poultry, and egg products that must be removed from commerce.  CCMS data is monitored by public health officers who evaluate the complaint and triage the information to determine the need for further investigation or product sampling. Thus, any complaint reported to FSIS, whether it involves an illness, an injury, or any other public health concern, will receive immediate and appropriate action by the Agency.
**Stakeholder groups involved:  **Primarily consumers, but also FSIS employees and Federal and State public health officials and the meat and poultry industry.
**Benefits: ** With the development and implementation of CCMS, FSIS is able to respond quickly to prevent possible widespread effects of accidental contamination of meat, poultry and egg products already in commerce and to prevent possible acts of bioterrorism where meat, poultry, and/or egg products are targeted.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Food Safety and Inspection Service (cont’d.)

**Lessons learned and future direction: ** Prior to implementation of the CCMS, FSIS received and responded to consumer complaints using a paper-based system in which complaints were received and acted upon at a local level. The lack of centralized oversight resulted in a disjointed effort in reacting to these complaints when multiple FSIS offices were involved, and caused delays when there were potential public health emergencies of a multi-state or national proportion. Because the new system is centrally managed and national in scope, corrective actions by the Agency will be uniform throughout the country. The system also has the potential to serve as a sentinel or early warning system for threats to the food supply as trained public health officials will constantly monitor the system.
- 	Although now residing on the FSIS Intranet, it is planned that, in the future, consumers will be able to interact with the Agency through its Internet website.  In addition, State public health offices will be allowed to access the CCMS database for information and reports.  FSIS is also committed to assisting States in building similar consumer complaint systems.
**Links to eGov Program:  **The CCMS is featured in the FSIS Tactical Plan and is linked to the Food Safety and Security Tools business case.

**Food Safety and Inspection Service *****(cont’d.)***

## Food Safety and Inspection Service (cont’d.)

**eGov Expos or other activities ***(past or future)***:**  Presented to National Academy of Sciences, April 2002
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:**  Implementation of the CCMS has increased efficiency within FSIS as a result of Intranet technology and workflow management. It is now easier for FSIS to respond to members of the public who file a consumer complaint, thereby providing an integrated early warning system for potentially contaminated or hazardous products, and facilitating a coordinated Federal/State response to problems.

**Food Safety and Inspection Service *****(cont’d.)***

## National Agricultural Statistics Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:** Electronic Data Reporting (EDR)
**Purpose: **Administer surveys and collect responses via the web
**Stakeholder groups involved: **Producers, partners, USDA agencies NASS personnel
**Benefits:** Streamlined survey process, reduced burden, reusable survey components
**Time/cost to create:** 8 week pilot (250K); 6-9 month production  (300-500K)
**Lessons learned and future direction:** User involvement in requirements, retail real project managers, skill based task assignments, 2nd cross-culture project
**Links to eGov Program** Survey Capability Initiative from Strategic Plan, GPEA compliance
**Awards and achievements:** It works! Can really help others with GPEA compliance with low/no cost ‘in the door’
**eGov Expos or other activities: **Demos available
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:** Funding, part of NASS eGov strategic plan, ties in with all other NASS initiatives. Nothing is ‘stand-alone’ any more.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Office of the Chief Financial Officer

**Name of highlighted initiative:** National Finance Center (NFC) Certificate
- 	Authority (CA)
**Purpose: **Provide e-authentication services for the federal government and partners
**Stakeholder groups involved ***(citizens, business partners, or employees):* government-to-government, business partners, Federal Bridge Certification Authority
**Benefits:** low-cost, secure government interoperability
**Time/cost to create:** Started PKI in 1996, CA certification received in 2002, $2M
**Lessons learned and future direction:**  Work within existing federal Public Key Infrastructure, future:  NFC application integration and serves as CA for federal government
**Links to eGov Program:** Integrated into eAuthentication Smart Choice
**Awards and achievements:** Inaugural CA with federal bridge, awarded two grants for interoperability, Office of Management and Budget portal demo
**eGov Expos or other activities ***(past or future)***:** NFC Customer Briefing, Info Assurance Conference
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:** Substantial investment required

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Rural Housing Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:**  PRE-TRAC (Prepayment Tracking & Concurrence) **:**
**Purpose**: To manage, track and process Multi-Family Housing Prepayment Requests
**Stakeholder groups involved: **RD Area, State and National Offices
**Benefits:** Consistency in processing requests in a timely manner;  sharing information between offices;  getting concurrence from different parties; automatic generation of reports and letters;  protect RD from lawsuits.
**Time/cost to create:** 18 months. Salary for one USDA programmer. Hardware and software licenses:  $110,000
**Lessons learned and future direction:** Need to budget for hands-on training.  Time spent on requirements and database design pays off in the long run.
- Future direction:  This application was the basis for developing another application called PIX.  PIX, which stands for Preservation Information Exchange, is a public web-site that allows non-profits to register, receive emails, and search for rental properties that are listed for sale or properties that the borrower has requested to prepay.
**Links to eGov Program** *(Smart Choices, Tactical Plans, etc.):  eF*ile: under Rental properties for sale and eLoans: under MFH servicing actions.
**Awards and achievements:  **Multiple Agency awards.
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:** Having one consolidated data source, allows for instant communication of information between different end-user groups.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Rural Utilities Service

**Name of highlighted initiative:** Data Collection System (DCS)
**Purpose: **Collect Operating and Financial Data from RUS borrowers.
**Stakeholder groups involved: **RUS borrowers (generally businesses)
**Benefits:** Quick Turn Around, More Accurate Data, E-mail notification, Meets all GPEA except eSignature
**Time/cost to create:** 2 years, $300,000
**Lessons learned and future direction:** We are enhancing, adding forms and waiting for eSignature from the eAuthentication group.
**Links to eGov Program: **Identified in RUS’ Tactical Plan
**Awards and achievements:** None
**eGov Expos or other activities ***(past or future)***:** None
**General eGovernment challenges/lessons learned:** Coordination with other groups in RD and USDA including network and security was the biggest challenge.

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Agenda

**Agenda**

**Welcome**
**Smart Choice Update**
**Agency Updates – Round 2**
**Q&A**
**Next Steps and Wrap-up **

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Questions and Answers

## Agenda

**Agenda**

**Welcome**
**Smart Choice Update**
**Agency Updates – Round 2**
**Q&A**
**Next Steps and Wrap-up **

**Notes:**
High energy Welcome.

Get jazzed.  

Good things are happening:

	EITIRB meeting tomorrow for 30 minutes exclusively on 	eGov

	EC and I will be meeting with DS ideally this week as well 	but may slip to next week

	Relatively positive feedback from OMB based on our 	efforts – only Yellow

Thanks for efforts to date.  Time to roll up sleeves again.

## Next Steps

**We will continue the agency updates again at our next meeting**
**Two new eGovernment scorecards will be released soon**
- One is for SES, part of 5-part PMA scorecard (eGovernment, Financial Mgt, Budget & Performance, Human Capital, Outsourcing)
- Second is for eGovernment Program; details on the scorecard will be coming soon
**We are reorganizing the eGovernment Web site and welcome your suggestions about additions or changes.**
**Next EGWG meeting will be Wednesday, November 13, at 11am in room S-107.**