Frazier said it’s critical to build personal
relationships that bridge the divide between
offices.
“It’s helpful to have systems in place, but that
doesn’t replace individual contact,” Frazier
said, adding that he pays a weekly visit to the
CFO and CIO at Commerce.
“The
three of us have the same objective. We may not
go about it in the same way, but we want the
same things for our agencies,” he said.
|
Johnnie
Frazier, Inspector General, U.S. Dept.
of Commerce |
Alexis Stefani, deputy assistant secretary for
finance and budget in the CFO’s office at
Transportation called working with the CIO’s
office “a learning experience.” She said this
exercise was made difficult by the fact that the
CFO is often the “hammer” when it comes to what
systems and programs get included in the budget.
Still, Stefani said the two offices have figured
out how to trust one another. “It was a unique
discovery that together we could achieve more,”
she said.
The biggest challenge facing her office?
“The
alphabet soup of requirements,” Stefani said.
“For us, looking at how to implement all of them
and understand what comes now and what comes
later is a big stretch for the staff.”
She
suggested streamlining financial management
reporting and requirements, or at least giving
them a hierarchy.
“Everything just keeps piling up and there’s no
take-away,” Stefani said.
Commerce’s Frazier agreed. “There’s never enough
resources to do what we’re supposed to and so
many unfunded mandates,” he said. “There are so
many things we can’t get to. It’s critical to
know what’s important, explain what did get done
and what didn’t get done and be ready to take
the criticism.”
Havekost said his greatest challenge is securing
information.
“We’re seeing targeted, sophisticated attacks.
It’s something we all think about and have to
figure out a way to do security that doesn’t
handcuff the business,” he said. “At HHS, we
have medical information. How do you mediate the
loss of medical information? We take IT security
seriously.”
|
(l to r) Alexis
Stefani, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Finance & Budget, U.S. Dept. of
Transportation; Peter Aliferis, CGFM,
Deputy Executive Director of Operations
& Professional Certification, AGA; Evie
Barry, MS, Director of Performance
Reporting, AGA |
The panelists agreed agencies face specific
challenges as they enter the twilight of an
administration.
Frazier said regardless of which party’s in
charge, this is the time to make sure projects
that are close to completion become the
priority.
“Also, as you get to the end of an
administration, people start to leave. They’re
dropping like flies. You’ll have people come in
for a year to put something on their resume. You
have to deal with that,” he said.
Though he said information technology is largely
apolitical, Havekost stressed the need to
consider current projects and initiatives and
determine whether they’re sustainable.
“It’s important to make sure you maintain
continuity,” Havekost said.
Asked if she was concerned that the CIO’s office
may take on more responsibility for financial
management systems, Stefani reverted back to the
collaboration theme.
“It’s like building a house. It has to fit my
needs, but I have to build it to the CIO’s
specs,” she said. “We have to work together.”