Booz Allen’s Dan Tucker: Data Standards, Transparency Key to Improving Agency Operations

Dan Tucker, a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and head of the company’s digital platform capability team, has said that agencies must take proactive steps and establish a data-driven approach to achieve operational efficiency.

Tucker wrote in a Nextgov piece published Tuesday that in order to meet goals under the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed Year-1 Federal Data Strategy Action Plan, federal agencies need to “leverage data to advance their missions, manage data efficiently, and protect data from unethical or criminal abuse.”

He recommended that agencies create a cross-office reference data standard working group that oversees the use of data sets to address issues across the agency as well as other stakeholder needs. In addition, agencies should establish a data standards catalog to ensure consistency and develop a data-sharing platform to streamline financial management.

“Government data can be equally effective for all citizens only if transparency is scrupulously maintained,” Tucker said. “Making data open to the public empowers citizens to make decisions based on the data. Ensuring that it is updated regularly and is current ensures those decisions can be made on an ongoing basis.”