Technology is not a commodity, but a transformative tool that helps us change the way we do business.
–U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly
More than 700 people attended the Data Act Summit to hear from Congressmen, Senators, and U.S. Department of Treasury leadership. Common themes ran throughout the keynotes and sessions, with an underlying focus on how better data helps us make better decisions. GrantSolutions couldn’t agree more. Everything we do is aimed at helping Federal agencies manage grants more effectively and efficiently.
The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA) Is a major step forward in making the grants management process easier and more transparent.
Agility is critical in the technology industry.
Agile development allows users to get better functionality faster while significantly lowering implementation risks. In this fast-paced world, we must be able to quickly identify and create new solutions.
Standardization is a key to success.
Whether it’s the way we manage grants, or the way we talk about certain grant requirements, standardization helps reduce the potential for confusion or error, streamlines processes, and increases transparency – all of which help reduce overall costs.
Transparency is more important than ever.
One of the speakers noted that trust in the government is at an all time low. Greater transparency can help restore faith in Federal agencies. It ensures better accountability for those involved in managing the grants process.
Better decisions demand better data.
That’s why initiatives like usaspending.gov are so important. This website makes data easier to find by housing all spending data from Federal agencies.
However, having easy access to data and the tools to analyze them is just the first step.
What’s next?
If the first phase of the DATA Act addresses data collection, the next phase focuses on mining data. We need to truly look at what the data is telling us and make informed decisions about future spending. That’s where easily creating complex reports and using data visualization will support Federal agencies in their ongoing mission to better understand program outcomes.
