Marc and Rob are joined by special guest Brian Russo to discuss the DoD technology acquisition ecosystem dilemma, experimenting with “The Yes Machine”, and how we can all get better results by trusting the mouse in our pocket.
Rob escalates things quickly with a challenge to the DoD technology product community – How do we bridge the gap between theory and execution? Let’s deliver things that produce value and return on investment. How can we avoid huge technology swings that cost time and money and don’t produce better outcomes. How do make real process changes? People roll in, talk badly about the existing architecture, work for three years, make their money, and leave the same or worse problems in their wake for the program. It’s expensive and exhausting, on continuous repeat as people move between groups. We’re seeing a massive technical contracting fail, with just ~1% of programs achieving measurable success. Most programs don’t convert and this hurts our geopolitical influence and ability to solve operational problems at scale.
Brian has worked on many R&D projects building systems from nothing. Lots of barriers to entry, the idea that DoD is special. Sure some systems have unique requirements, but most DoD IT and technology needs are the same as the private sector. Frustrating that every year is the call to upskill more people, with some simple solution proposed. We need to shatter the mold and move to the new model.
If we could change two things, we need to as a community help a better understanding on the commercial side of a dual-use culture, and on the government side there needs to be revisiting of the incentive structures. You’re not incentivized to deliver results. You’re incentivized to avoid failure. We need a more open and transparent conversation to align incentives for individuals aligned with actual mission objectives. Rational people do what they are invented to do, but incentives aren’t aligned. Each one can win independently and the whole thing loses. There is no cabal, it’s a complex system involving lots of people driven by hormones. We have a collective responsibility to refine and develop our self aware. How do we work as a community to collaborate and drive a better outcome. We need to restore trust. Businesses want stability and to hit revenue targets and government wants an outcome. We need to partner better together to avoid perverse incentives and unintended consequences.
AI makes acquisition success harder. With everyone using it, everyone looks the same and how to tell who is actually qualified and motivated to solve the problem. It’s incredibly hard for small business or new player to interact with so many layers of requirements. Don’t get Brian started on getting an ATO and how the whole cybersecurity industry is focused on itself rather than solving real problems.
When we hear a new idea we disagree with, “give it 5 minutes”. New ideas are vulnerable and should be nurtured to let them grow and see what happens. Fundamentally, when you strip away all the layers of contracting, there is some mission out there aligned with an operational outcome that needs a commercial provider to deliver. Focus on that, reduce the cost, recognize all these systems are for risk management and not the goal itself. Are you the actual provider or contributing organizational value around risk and legal, which are also important. We need to zoom out and see if we’re getting what we need from the system. Who is “we”?
Be honest and ask how we can solve these problems. List them out and work through them. What do we need and why? Create the culture where people can say what they don’t understand and make sure there is an actual value proposition. How will this benefit the mission? Need more authenticity and less influence.There has been good results from strike teams on the civilian side like 18F to help agencies get results. On DoD side, this is less clear. They should look at civilian counterparts and borrow what is working. Don’t sugarcoat the failures. CivicTech and DHS are crushing it with their tech. Even FOSS with USWDS (US web design system) across CDC, NIH, HHS, VA, everyone is using it, 100% accessible, human centered and functional and cybersecurity and simplified components. DoD often brings in consultants which is the worst. They embed themselves into the system rather than help you stand on your own. They capture agencies. $150 million program with 100s of people feels more glamorous than $5 million project with 5 people.
We invent hard constraints a that probably don’t really exist. People understand what they want to do, but not the ways to do it. Don’t get stuck trying to optimize the current system. People don’t know what they don’t know. Step back and consider what the right thing is to do now. Remember, nobody wants a server, nobody wants an algorithm – they just want to do something tomorrow that they can’t do today.