Known for their family entertainment, parks and resorts,
products, and unparalleled customer service, Disney offers a variety of
workshops sharing their knowledge, skills, and time-tested strategies to help
companies improve their corporate culture, communication, leadership, team
building, and more.

Moe Jafari, founder, President, and CEO, stated, “We are
making every effort to follow Disney’s lead to provide our clients with excellent
customer service. Our goal is to ensure that we exceed our customers’ needs and
to provide them with alternative solutions to improve their business, as we
endeavor to improve ours. We also strive to maintain a caring environment for
our staff and develop our skills for continued growth.”

Some see Agile methodologies as dividing the software development community into opposing camps: traditionalists vs. “agilists.” Agencies can’t afford to ignore the trend towards Agile adoption, but for organizations steeped in traditional systems development methodologies, as federal agencies typically are, adoption of agile methodologies can pose challenges.

Some federal organizations hold tight to traditional practices, and barriers prevent them from adopting agile methodologies. A perception exists that Agile approaches are ill-defined, centering around an “I’ll know it when I see it” approach that fits in poorly with the typical documentation and processes that accompany government contracting. Officials who are accustomed to extensive reporting and creating paper trails to reduce risk and manage accountability may balk at a process that requires real-time customer input, minimal design, and extreme iteration. In fact, the mandate for the use of Agile by the Obama administration is seen by many as a direct contradiction to the directive to use Firm Fixed-Price (FFP) contracting “to the maximum extent practical.” Agile methodology often lends itself better to Time & Materials or Cost Plus contracts, as by definition the requirements are ever-changing throughout the lifecycle.

Typical government contracts are issued with substantial lead times. When budgets and funding have to be allocated well before a project begins, the “develop-as-you-go” style of Agile seems incompatible.  Such contracts are also commonly written to support a traditional management method; IT Managers and contracting officials may not be familiar with Agile techniques, and lack the understanding to create procurement vehicles that can support the process.

Training and change management are the primary obstacles to implementing Agile. A consultant from the Scrum Alliance suggests a three-step process:

• Work around the traditionalists by negotiating a change to the contents of the deliverables to make them more Agile;
• Alter the Agile processes to fit with the traditional world negotiated above; and
• If necessary, create all the required traditional process documentation and deliverables, while running projects internally with Agile methods.

While some Agile consultants suggest an approach that involves working “around” the traditionalists, it typically produces an unhappy result. Traditionalists need to be converted, not subverted—especially since they often hold influential decision-making positions. Trying to simply circumvent them is both unlikely and politically risky. This approach may never create long-term change in how development occurs.

Industry contractors and consultants need to help managers and contracting officers understand the value added by Agile methods and demonstrate their effectiveness to promote this cultural shift.  Ultimately, educating IT officials, managers, and contracting officers about Agile process will provide them the knowledge to address funding and contracts challenges to support such programs. Industry groups need to do a better job of getting out the message through participation in events and through social, traditional, and innovative media channels as well as direct dialog and education.

Beyond the contracting arena, cultural change will be necessary. Software development process changes require complex organizational changes; it is not as easy as simply replacing a current tool or technology with something different. Understanding the organization-wide implications of changing methodologies is also a critical step in ensuring the ultimate success of implementing the new method since organizational, structural, cultural, and management practices may be impacted.

Addressing these barriers requires thoughtful, clear and constant communication. The advantages of Agile methodologies must be explicitly and honestly outlined, and the resulting impact on the organization adequately assessed proactively to ensure expectations are clear and understood. Finally, building on established, trusted relationships is also a key aspect of fostering an acceptance of new Agile processes. There is still much work to do as an industry to correct misperceptions and foster champions that have the authority and confidence to see Agile-based software development though to successful implementation.

Ms. Tran is an information technology expert with extensive expertise in all aspects of planning, implementing, developing, and managing
complex IT projects. She has extensive “hands-on” engineering, business analysis, and operations experience. Her experience, combined with managerial expertise and professional certifications, allows her to effectively identify and assess IT market opportunities, build relationships, manage contracts, and deliver sophisticated IT solutions that surpass client expectations while staying on time and within budget.

Ms. Tran has over 17 years of proven professional experience in management and technology within both the government and commercial
sectors.  Recent professional experience includes Director of Systems Engineering and Program Manager for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and IT Consultant Architect responsibilities at the Federal Aviation Administration. Her academic and professional background includes diverse international experience.

Moe Jafari, founder, President, and CEO of HumanTouch, welcomes Ms. Tran to the company: “We are pleased to welcome Methta Tran to our
team. As our company continues to grow, our ability to attract excellent professionals like Ms. Tran also grows in importance. Her history of providing IT consulting services and solutions to the federal government demonstrates her ability to manage large, mission-critical, complex programs. She will be a valuable addition to our team and our ability to support our clients.”

Cushing is a senior executive with over 20 years of providing trusted advisory services with impressive achievement, blending strategic
vision, thought leadership, business analytics, and IT expertise to deliver measureable results to both public and private clients. His areas of leadership include general management consulting, IT strategy, solution architecture, enterprise architecture, social collaboration, cyber security, and IT transformation services.

Cushing’s professional experience incorporates a combination of business development, high quality service delivery, and team building across a variety of programs. His multinational background gives him a diverse and agile perspective to approaching new engagements and challenges.

Moe Jafari, founder, President, and CEO of HumanTouch, welcomes Cushing: “We are pleased to welcome Josiah Cushing to the HumanTouch team. He has a history of building trusted relationships at all levels, developing staff, busines, and combining excellent client service with technical leadership. He will be a valuable addition to our family.”

In the waterfall model, software development is something like a car assembly line: many separate steps are involved that lead to a complete and finished product. This requires a sequential progress in which each step must be completed before the next step may be executed. For some products, this may be the best option. For something as dynamic and evolving as software production, however, this sort of approach falls short. Requirements for software development are difficult to completely identify before production even begins; most requirements evolve as the development team and stakeholders react to functional software. Trying to establish a precise end product at the beginning of the development process does not allow for the reality that by the time each step is completed, the needs of the organization and the environment have probably already shifted. Often this is discovered during the development process itself as solution architecting and development frequently forces stakeholders to think more completely about the requirements as the developers work on commensurate solutions.

Instead of predetermining exactly how the final product will function, Agile methodologies allow requirements and solutions to evolve through collaboration between cross-functional teams. It promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development and delivery, a time-boxed iterative approach, and encourages rapid and flexible prioritization and response to change. Agile development methodology provides many opportunities to assess the direction of a project throughout the development lifecycle by using regular short work cycles, known as iterations or “sprints.” At the end of each sprint, the team has a solid product, or partial product, that – while not necessarily in final form – is capable of being presented for review (e.g., an algorithm; a data extraction, transfer and load module; or a visualization component). In an Agile environment, every aspect of development is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle. This allows a team to stop and re-evaluate the direction of a project, to reprioritize sequencing, and/or to assess the impact of interdependencies, for example. Scheduled short sprints mean that development can be tailored or altered to meet emerging expectations and changing requirements. These sprints typically are two to four weeks in duration, usually consistent in length, and a key tenet to their success is that the requirements remain static during each sprint.  Once the development team becomes familiar with this construct and harmonizes on a certain cadence, the overhead associated with the Agile model decreases very rapidly.

Benefits of the Agile approach? It has the potential to reduce both development costs and shorten the production time:  the sooner a defect or rogue requirement is discovered, the quicker and generally cheaper the solution. Teams can gather requirements while they begin development in parallel, avoiding the “analysis paralysis” in which perfect may be the enemy of good. The short sprint cycles allow stakeholders regular opportunities to measure the evolving usability and functionality of the product: is it headed in the right direction? Are deficiencies emerging? Should additional functionalities to be added, or is simplification needed?  These sorts of analyses incorporated into the development process highly increase the likelihood that the final product will be the right one. Agile can help developers and customers overcome common development problems: lack of ongoing communication, missed deadlines, and opportunities for midcourse adjustments – all  real risks to a waterfall approach.

The Obama administration, noting the success and cost savings associated with Agile methodologies,   has encouraged federal agencies to incorporate these methodologies. In October 2009, President Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (sec. 804) issuing a mandate to implement the Agile model for IT acquisitions (this done in conjunction with the Defense Science Board’s conclusion that DoD’s deliberate, slow processes for IT acquisition did not match the speed at which new technological capabilities were being introduced).  The administration’s “25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Government IT Management,” published December 2010, also contains guidance to incorporate Agile methodologies.

The conservative IT world of the federal government, and corresponding contract officers, may feel unsure how to incorporate a process with loose requirements and continual change.  Most federal contractors and consultants operate under strict project and program management guidelines to create exact, highly specified products. This approach is obviously not always the best methodology to develop technology. Properly employed, Agile methodologies can allow government officials and developers to use a process focused on value and adapting to and embracing changing project realities. And an increasing number of federal IT managers, contractors and consultants are indeed turning to Agile methodologies.

Overcoming established agency culture is important to affecting the transition to Agile processes. To foster success, industry champions of Agile will need to actively participate in educating agencies in the benefits and applicability of Agile project management and software development.

More than 50,000 health IT-related jobs have been created since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) went into effect. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicates the number of health IT jobs is expected to rise by 20 percent between 2008 and 2018; an increase which will exceed the average for all occupations through 2018.

Health IT professionals are driving measureable, positive change impacting health care reform. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released findings at the end of November that showed that physicians’ adoption of health information technology (HIT) doubled in just the past two years. The report also showed an increase in the percentage of physicians who say they plan to show Meaningful Use. More than half of doctors now say they aim to attest to Meaningful Use, vs. 41 percent in 2010. HHS also announced new actions to accelerate the use of health IT in doctors’ offices and hospitals nationwide, with the intent of improving health care and creating jobs nationwide.

The tight schedules associated with EHR implementation and other health care initiatives certainly keep IT professionals busy. A survey by Kirby Partners, a national healthcare IT search firm, showed some interesting statistics regarding average work days in the healthcare IT industry. Their research indicated that:

• 24 percent of CIOs report working over 60 hours
• 45 percent of CIOs work between 50 and 60 hours
• 37 percent of managers and directors work over 50 hours
• 14 percent of non-management IT staff work over 50 hours

These long work weeks may lead to a higher-than-usual amount of stress. The same survey showed that 65 percent of CIOs believe their staff is under excessive strain due to meaningful use requirements, and that 52 percent of healthcare IT managers and directors feel “very” stressed. This amount of stress, especially for mid-management, is much higher than in other environments; a 2011 Computer World magazine survey of IT staff across all industries indicated only 17 percent felt “very” stressed.

The long hours and stress levels may make retention of these professionals an issue; furthermore, the demand for experienced health IT workers has created some scarcity. Earlier this year, the Hay Group released a study indicating that 47 percent of healthcare organizations reported challenges with recruitment, retention, or both.

Appreciating the contributions of this talent pool is vital. Health IT workers will continue to shape how health care reform and how the delivery of medical care will continue to improve. Establishing a work environment that values talent, input, and potential is paramount to ensuring a workplace in which innovation, cooperation, and accomplishment will thrive.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) serves a critical role in ensuring the safety and stability of our national public health and health care systems. To best serve in this capacity, the FDA must be able to access the best available scientific data using the best tools and technologies available. The synergy of combining both will lead to better health care for consumers and continue to foster and advance innovation throughout the scientific and health care community.

In 2007, FDA’s Science Board concluded that the agency’s IT systems were obsolete, unstable and inadequate to fulfill its mandate to oversee food, drugs and medical devices.  Since that time, the FDA has taken steps forward on its IT modernization efforts.  Among various IT initiatives, the FDA has earmarked funding for IT infrastructure to enable interoperability of regulatory data sharing across the agency’s program areas.

The FDA relies on science that is more data-centric, complex, and collaborative than ever before. Many stakeholders and multidisciplinary groups are engaged in this important work. To enable these diverse and geographically disparate groups to successfully leverage large quantities of data requires a commitment to technological innovation. To harness the potential of information sharing and data mining, the FDA has been rebuilding its IT and data analytic capabilities with the intention of creating science enclaves that will allow for the analysis of large, complex datasets while maintaining proprietary data protections and protecting patients’ information.

This engagement—referred to as “scientific computing” – is essential to enable the Agency to leverage internal and external knowledge bases, databases, data mining tools, and scientific expertise to inform regulatory decisions and pursue the qualitative improvement of health care delivery. Scientific computing enables the FDA to manage an increasingly complex set of regulatory and public health initiatives.

Enabling the FDA through provision of enterprise assets and models allows for cohesive usage of resources and allows the work, data and tools to be optimized among the 8 centers with in FDA.

According to the FDA, it maintains the largest known repository of clinical data (all de-identified to protect patients’ privacy): “unique, high-quality data on the safety, effectiveness and performance of drugs, biologics and devices, both before and after approval.” The ability to analyze this data can advance scientific understanding of how various treatments affect different populations and by extension, allow for the customization of most effective treatment based on the individual and overall improved health outcomes. FDA currently houses the largest known repository of clinical data. The ability to integrate and analyze this trove of information could revolutionize the development of new patient treatments, provide a better understanding of diseases, measure the impacts of various initiatives on public health, even provide a deeper appreciation of the effectiveness of various pharmaceuticals on differing populations.

Historically, the vast majority of FDA de-identified clinical trial data has gone un-mined because of the inability to combine data from disparate sources and the lack of computing power and tools to perform such complex analyses. However, advances in the field of scientific computing provide a way to positively impact the scenario.

Adding capabilities that are outside of the realm of FDA currently, i.e., Patient (phonemic) data, is a challenging situation due to the privacy impact, but one that  would lead to many advantages in building upon drug interaction data among a group or class of patients.

Additionally, by integrating comparative effectiveness research (CER) with Scientific Computing processes, the FDA can also take steps towards realizing the goal of providing “personalized medicine.” The quantity of information available from disparate sources, once compiled and synthesized, allows scientists to gain insight into the safety and efficiency of drugs and treatments in subpopulations of patients.

The development and use of sound, consistent, science-based approaches to the design, conduct, and analysis of such data and the assessment will be a critical component in developing meaningful use applications of personalized medicine. The government and private industry need to work together to ensure that all informatics hardware and software are developed to capture all relevant data models, keep information protected and proprietary, and allow for comparative effectiveness research. The potential of marrying the best from the IT world with the wealth of scientific data available is an exciting prospect that everyone in the process should support with enthusiasm.

HumanTouch is proud to be a supporter of Decorate A Vet for the second year. HumanTouch volunteers will spend the day on December 7th decorating and spreading holiday cheer to the Warriors in the Transition unit at the Fort Belvoir military base. The Warriors in Transition is a center for healing wounded soldiers. The Wizards and Mystics will provide holiday treats and decorations for the soldiers’ living areas, and Decorate a Vet and HumanTouch will assist with decorating.

For more information about volunteering or making a donation to Decorate A Vet, visit facebook.com/Decorate.A.Vet.

HumanTouch Founder, President and CEO, Moe Jafari, commented, “We are excited to be a part of Decorate A Vet for the second year and many years to come.  We look forward to serving our local veterans to spread holiday cheer and show our appreciation for all that they do.”

For more information about volunteering or making a donation to Decorate A Vet, visit facebook.com/Decorate.A.Vet.

Thirty-six companies were selected as prime contractors on this multiple award contract vehicle among the industry’s best small business competitors.  They will be providing support across functional areas which will require high-level project management skills and tools for managing, tracking, reporting, and transitioning on large-scale systems, and maintaining configuration management controls and all aspects of systems security as it relates to Government practices, policies, and procedures, such as risk analyses and the development of recommendations and implementation, and plans for new procedures and changes to existing systems.The TIPSS-4 SB contract is designed to provide a full range of information processing support services for project and program level support and Cybersecurity related services that maybe required across virtually all software languages and hardware platforms throughout the period of performance of the contract.  As one of the selections, HumanTouch, LLC leads the industry in providing technology support services.

The TIPSS-4 SB contract is designed to provide a full range of information processing support services for project and program level support and Cybersecurity related services that maybe required across virtually all software languages and hardware platforms throughout the period of performance of the contract.  As one of the selections, HumanTouch, LLC leads the industry in providing technology support services.