Analytics/Evaluation
Army’s forthcoming data strategy comes with new standards, ‘ruthless’ enforcement
Jared Serbu, Federal News Network
Once the Army’s new data strategy is officially released, it will come with specific orders telling Army components to adhere to common data standards.

Customer Service
5 ways self-service improves government customer experience
Dan Davis, FedScoop
How agencies can improve citizen services by leveraging modern platforms.

Innovation
Testing Period
Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene, Governing
Pilot programs don’t always fly right.
6 Tips for Piloting New Programs
Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene, Governing
Small test-runs can help an entity avoid big mistakes, but there’s an art to getting meaningful results.
Nudge in the City: Using Science to Improve Public Services
John Kamensky, Government Executive
Cutting-edge technology is nice, but sometimes just changing the size of a mailing envelope can determine whether a program is successful.
How VA is disrupting tech delivery
Kelly O’Connor, Federal Computer Week
A former Digital Service specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs explains efforts to transition government from a legacy “project” approach to a more user-centered “product” method.
GSA’s TTS is being restructured into two ‘pillars’ of effort
Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, FedScoop
GSA’s Technology Transformation Service is reorganizing itself to be more “client-focused.”

Management
OPM policy changes may improve hiring, but only if agencies do not find ways to maintain the status quo
Jeff Neal, Federal News Network
The author breaks down why federal hiring practices are slow, confusing to nongovernment applicants, get tied up in regulations and often result in unqualified applicants getting the job.