Jamie Bennet
Centers of excellence are becoming a common initiative at government agencies looking to modernize operations, but they should also learn and avoid misconceptions to optimize the effectiveness of such approach, according to Aeyon Chief Transformation Officer Mark Hogenmiller.
In a commentary published Friday on Federal News Network, Hogenmiller outlined six misconceptions about CoEs, including the idea that they can replace experienced industry counterparts.
He noted agencies such as the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security are establishing CoEs to automate processes and improve workforce efficiency.
However, the executive said that some federal entities think the CoE model only applies to large-scale IT modernization projects.
Another misconception is that the centers can solve all organizational problems, when in fact, some processes need extensive human micromanagement, according to Hogenmiller.
He explained that CoEs are also not the responsibility of chief information officers alone, but are sometimes best supervised by function-specific leaders.
Hogenmiller clarified that automation is not meant to replace the human workforce, and will be more effective as a supporting tool for them.
“CoEs go beyond identifying opportunities to automate processes, building a framework for how analytics, AI and machine learning can complement existing operations and scale up capabilities.”
