Ep. 266 Inside the Push to Build Smarter Digital Solutions Across Federal Agencies

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In 1987 Microsoft introduced PowerPoint, it is one of the few applications that has endured almost four decades! Today, we look at some options that incorporate more flexible ways to innovate.

Charles Firey from Excella provides listeners three ways to make a transition from PowerPoint to modern applications.  He discusses setting temporary instances of a modification, making sure this approach is consistent, and where to look for opportunities to apply this dynamic method.

Sandbox. Instead of worrying about managing sensitive data, create a sandbox or synthetic data environment to enable quick concept demonstrations without compromising security or compliance. Once a federal leader can see the proposed solution, iterations can take place in a more effective manner.

Consistent. Once the concept of a “sandbox” has been established, think about federal security considerations. Develop a consistent approach for creating prototypes that align with production-ready compliance requirements that include protecting data at rest and data in transit.

Opportunities  - Identify opportunities to incorporate rapid prototyping as part of the method. Not every technical problem can be solved with improving interactions with websites; however, many areas can be helped if you know how to apply an iterative approach to software development.

Charles notes that Excella uses synthetic data and consistent workflows to ensure prototypes align with production standards. The conversation also touches on the cost-effectiveness and future potential of AI-driven prototyping in federal projects.