FAC-C-DS Certified!….Now what?

Where do you see yourself in the future as you use your FAC-C-DS?

I have been in contracting for six years and I have had the opportunity to participate in some complex and unique procurements during this time.  However, my entire contracting career has been with one agency and while I have grown and excelled at what we do at FSA, I recognize that it’s not the only way, and probably not the most efficient and effective way. Upon receiving my DITAP certification I see myself being more knowledgeable and confident in agile development and in a better position to communicate effectively with my agency and industry.  Now that I have built relationships with stakeholders that I would not have been confident enough to engage in the past, I see myself being part of a “grass roots” effort to get the agency to see the value in agile development, and how to effectively tailor our procurements around it.

Currently, I’m working on a digital IT procurement and I find myself being able to understand the requirements better, which has added value to the input I have been able to provide to my team now that I have taken this class. 

Where do you see your agency in the future as it works to realize the government’s digital transformation mission?

My agency is gradually moving toward embracing the Government’s digital transformation mission.  Our new Chief Operating Officer (COO) has been pushing for a more efficient and modern way of serving our customers (students), which are primarily ‘Millenials’ and ‘Generation Z’.  We are currently revamping the way we interact with our customers throughout the entire student lifecycle. For example, FAFSA Forms can now be completed 100% from a mobile device.  In the future, we expect for our customers to be able to complete most, if not all interactions with FSA via a mobile device.  Research has shown that most of our customers who actually need federal aid do not readily have access to computers or the internet, which has affected their willingness to complete the FAFSAs in the past. Most of our customers have access to mobile phones though, so we anticipate this change will improve FSA’s ability to provide aid to those who need it.

How will you, as a FAC-C-DS certified acquisition professional, use your talents and strengths to bring the agency’s preferred future to fruition?

My agency has primarily used waterfall development and ‘conventional’ methods of vendor engagement in the past which has not always yielded the best results.  Being in the DITAP Program has opened my eyes to a new world of more efficient and effective ways to engage industry, procure digital IT, and develop and implement IT systems. I plan to continue to revisit all the materials I have access to through the DITAP Portal so that I can retain what I have learned, as well as continue interactions with the connections I’ve made through this program to stay abreast of new innovations in digital IT and what other agencies are doing.  I plan to look for small “low-risk” opportunities to implement agile development as a hybrid for change and build off those successes.