by Vasu Valluri, Principal Enterprise Architect
Summer is here – beach vacations, fun in the sun, kids running amok. Now, federal IT systems aren’t the first things to pop into my mind when I’m thinking about summer vacation, but humor me with this analogy.
Consider the life of a system:
Modernization represents summertime. Creativity and innovation abound. Modernization is the “fun” part of IT…and maybe the riskier (UVA, UVB, and UVC rays mean don’t forget your sunscreen).
On the contrary, O&M might be viewed as calmer, steadier. There’s a reason many refer to O&M as “keeping the lights on.”
O&M: A Season for Incremental Innovation
While modernization focuses on large-scale transformations, O&M presents discrete opportunities for continuous innovation. How? Consider UVF – no, not a new type of sun ray; rather, a set of focal points for driving innovation in O&M:
- Users
- Value
- Future
Users: The Beach Read, Not the Textbook
Federal systems can seem cumbersome and frustrating. O&M innovation should prioritize enhancing the user experience, making systems as user-friendly as a captivating beach read. O&M teams that have invested in mature user feedback loops (end user surveys, application performance monitoring tools) have access to data directly from users. This data can readily reveal priorities for a better, more usable system. Focusing on user needs in innovation helps evolve the user experience from wintertime dreary to summertime radiant.
Value: Investing Where the Sun Shines Brightest
Great ideas are like fireflies flitting about your beach campsite—bright and shiny ideas abound. Prioritization is key. Teams attempting to chase too many fireflies end up overpromising and underdelivering. When prioritizing, teams must measure value to agency mission first. Cost savings and risk reduction are also key factors. Automating repetitive tasks frees up staff for strategic initiatives, while proactive maintenance prevents costly disruptions. By focusing on value, O&M innovation strengthens core government functions, ensuring steady progress.
Future: Building for Long-Term Sustainability
Technology evolves as quickly as the beach tides roll in and out. Chasing every trend, though, is not sustainable. O&M offers a strategic window to explore a system's long-term viability: is our sandcastle built to withstand the test of time? As we consider architectural use cases that make systems more sustainable and secure, we have an opportunity to infuse creativity into our innovation. Adaptive maintenance use cases provide opportunities to explore the impact of system component roadmaps, new services, and emerging technologies safely and with minimal investment.
When it comes to IT systems O&M, it’s not just fun in the sun; it’s about introducing innovation in a way that prioritizes user experience, delivers measurable value, and builds for the future. It's not just about keeping the lights on; it's about enabling better service delivery, fostering end user trust, and empowering government agencies to thrive in a rapidly changing technological landscape—all while capturing that perfect summertime vibe of ease, efficiency, and a bright future.
