Analytics/Evaluation
‘Get the agencies moving’ toward CDO Council, former House Speaker urges
Dave Nyczepir, FedScoop
OMB should work with agencies’ chief data officers to stand up the CDO Council sooner rather than later.

Management
Learning to be a Leader
John Kamensky, Government Executive
A professional development seminar series open to all federal employees has helped thousands of feds connect across government.
How Agency Leaders Can Turn Vision Into Action
Richard Aragon, Andrew Miklos, Claire Schulkey, Government Executive
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences is demonstrating how a functional strategic plan can serve as a powerful management tool.
A Realistic Path to Modernizing the Civil Service
Bill Valdez and Adam White, Government Executive
Ten considerations for updating and improving government operations.
GAO: Workforce Planning Across Government Isn’t Going as Planned
Aaron Boyd, Nextgov
A review showed most federal agencies are implementing parts of GAO’s workforce planning framework while others are ignored due to competing priorities and leadership turnover.

Customer Service
GSA Wants Industry Insights on Offering Human-Centered Design Services
Brandi Vincent, Nextgov
Responses to the new request for information will impact future procurement actions, the agency said.

Innovation
VA innovators see home-grown ideas spread far and wide across veterans health network
Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Network
The Veterans Health Administration’s Innovation Ecosystem is bigger than ever, and employees are still eager to pitch their own ideas — even when the funding needed to grow those ideas isn’t always guaranteed.