www.socialsecurity.gov

>> GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, THANKS FOR HAVING US.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN OPEN
GOVERNMENT, AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AT DOT.
WE WERE EXPECTING OMB TO COME OUT WITH A MEMO THAT TALKED
ABOUT OPEN GOVERNMENT, SO THAT WAS NO SURPRISE.
WHAT WAS A SURPRISE WAS WHEN WE RECEIVED IT, THERE WAS A LOT
MORE THAN JUST THE IT COMPONENT THAT WE HAD BEEN EXPECTING.
IT CAME IN THROUGH THE TYPICAL CORRESPONDENCE PROCESS,
AND SURE ENOUGH, ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF IT WAS THE CREATION
OF A WEBSITE, SO AUTOMATICALLY THE DEP SEC PASSED IT DOWN TO
THE CIO'S OFFICE, CIO PASSED IT ON TO ME AND SAID HERE,
GIOVANNI, GO FIX THIS. AND AS WE HEARD FROM A PREVIOUS
SPEAKER, NOT ALWAYS CAN YOU JUST THROW MONEY AT SOLUTIONS AND
COME UP WITH THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THINGS.
A LOT OF TIMES YOU HAVE TO THINK CREATIVELY.
AND NOW THE CONSTRAINT THAT WE HAVE IS WE'RE A VERY SMALL CIO
SHOP AND WE DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF POWER, SO WE HAVE TO FIND
A CREATIVE WAY TO, ONE, ADDRESS THE NEED WITH THE
RESOURCES WE HAD; AND TWO, BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A PLAN
THAT WAS BEST IN CLASS. THE CHALLENGE WAS NOT TO
JUST TO CHECK THE BOX, BUT ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING THAT
WOULD BE WORTH IMPLEMENTING GOING FORWARD.
IT DIDN'T TAKE VERY LONG TO FIND OUT THAT THE RESOURCES WERE
BASICALLY ME, AND I COULD NOT EVEN FIND --
[LAUGHTER] -- ANOTHER FED THAT I
COULD PULL OFF OF ANYTHING, SO I WAS LUCKY THAT WE HAD JUST
HIRED JENN TO WORK ON THE GRANTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
IT TURNS OUT THAT GRANTS MANAGEMENT WAS NOT A HOT TOPIC
ANY MORE, AND THE TWO OF US HAD TO ADDRESS THIS.
AND SO WE SAT DOWN, AND IF YOU GO TO -- WHAT WE DID WAS TO TRY
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS OPEN GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVE
WAS ALL ABOUT. HOW WERE WE GOING TO ADDRESS IT,
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF IT, WHO DO WE NEED TO BRING IN TO
MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL. IF WE HAD JUST SAT DOWN AND
WRITTEN A PLAN, 120 DAYS, SURE, YOU CAN WRITE
A PLAN IN 120 DAYS. THE QUESTION IS IS IT
GOING TO BE A GOOD PLAN, AND IS ANYBODY GOING TO READ IT
AFTERWARDS OR BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT OR IS IT GOING TO
END UP ON A SHELF. IF IT HAD COME OUT FROM THE
CIO'S OFFICE AS AN IT COMPONENT, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER IT POLICY IT
WOULD END UP BEING SHELVED SOMEWHERE AND NOT,
NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN WITH IT, BUT IT WAS A LOT MORE THAN IT.
THERE WAS, OBVIOUSLY, A WHOLE PROCESS COMPONENT TO IT,
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE GRAPH THERE -- SO YOU HAVE PROCESS,
POLICY, AND OBVIOUSLY A HUGE CULTURAL COMPONENT TO IT.
PEOPLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY OPEN IN GOVERNMENT, THE -- YEAH,
YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED BY THAT. [LAUGHTER]
SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALL THESE PIV CARDS SO
WE CAN ALL GET INTO EACH OTHER'S BUILDINGS BECAUSE WE DON'T
RECOGNIZE THEIR STUFF, AND SO WE'RE NOT,
WE'RE VERY STOVEPIPED. AMONG THE THINGS THAT I DEAL
WITH IS ALSO CYBER SECURITY, SO THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT
SOMETHING THAT LENDS TO OPEN, SO WE NEED TO CHANGE THE
MENTALITY OF PEOPLE, AND WE NEED TO GET AWAY
FROM THE STOVEPIPES, WE NEED TO COLLABORATE,
WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT WE ALL WORK FOR THE CITIZENS
OF THE UNITED STATES, AND WE NEED TO PROVIDE A SERVICE
THAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS. WE DON'T NEED TO JUST COME IN TO
WORK AND CREATE PAPERWORK, WE NEED TO FIND OUT FROM THE
PUBLIC REALLY WHAT THEY DO VALUE, AND PROVIDE THE
SERVICES THAT PEOPLE DO. SO WITH THIS NICE GRAPHIC,
WE THEN FIGURE OUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET ALL THIS DONE,
JUST THE TWO OF US. AND THE WAY TO APPROACH IT WAS
TO LOOK FOR CHAMPIONS AROUND THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND WE'RE VERY FEDERATED.
WE HAVE VARIOUS OPERATING ADMINISTRATIONS,
EACH ONE WANTS TO DO THEIR OWN THING, ESPECIALLY THE FAA,
WHICH IS OUR BIGGEST ONE, SO WE WANTED TO BRING IN PEOPLE
FROM VARIOUS DISCIPLINES INTO THE TEAM,
BUT ALSO NOT JUST FROM THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE BUT
THROUGHOUT THE OPERATING ADMINISTRATIONS.
WE REACHED OUT TO A FEW PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW WOULD
BE GOOD CANDIDATES. I HAD BEEN AT THE DEPARTMENT,
IN FACT I'D BEEN AT THE FAA FOR ABOUT A DOZEN YEARS, SO I KNEW
SOME PEOPLE, I'D BEEN AROUND THE BUILDING A FEW TIMES, AND WE GOT
PEOPLE TO COME TO THE TABLE. AFTER THAT, YOU KNOW,
IT SNOWBALLED. PEOPLE STARTED JOINING, THEY
HEARD ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. IN THE END WE HAD ABOUT 250
PEOPLE THAT WITHIN THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF OPEN GOVERNMENT THAT
WERE CONTRIBUTING TO SOMETHING. THE WAY WE HAD BROKEN IT OUT,
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN READ IT, BUT I'LL RUN YOU THROUGH IT.
OBVIOUSLY, THE LEADERSHIP UP HERE.
WE BROKE IT OUT BETWEEN THE THREE AREAS OF POLICY,
TECHNOLOGY, AND CULTURE. EACH WAS A WORKING GROUP
THAT WAS WORKING ON A PARTICULAR ASPECT OF IT.
AND THE REASON TO BREAK IT UP WAS WE COULD NOT HAVE 250 PEOPLE
MEET IN A ROOM EVERY TIME WE HAD TO HAVE A MEETING,
SO WE BROKE IT INTO CHUNKS THAT WERE RELATIVELY MANAGEABLE.
DATA.GOV WAS ALREADY LAUNCHED, SO THAT WAS NOT
MUCH OF AN ISSUE. WE KNOW WE HAVE TO GET DATA OUT.
THAT WAS NOT A HUGE CHALLENGE. BUT IT WAS ONLY A SMALL PORTION
OF WHAT WE THOUGHT NEEDED TO BE IN THE PLAN.
SURE, WE CAN GET DATA OUT, THE QUESTION IS IS IT HIGH
QUALITY, AS WE HEARD BEFORE, IS IT USEFUL,
BUT MORE SO DOES IT MEET THE STRATEGIC NEEDS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. I MEAN, WE DON'T JUST WANT TO
PUT DATA OUT FOR THE SAKE OF PUTTING DATA OUT IF IT DOESN'T
DO ANY GOOD FOR US INTERNALLY. AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO SMALLER
SUBGROUPS THAT WERE ADDRESSING THE MORE DEFINED COMPONENTS OF
THE PLAN, LIKE A FOUR YEAR RECORDS MANAGEMENT.
I CAN'T EVEN READ THIS, BUT ANYWAY --
[ LAUGHTER ] ALL THE SMALLER COMPONENTS OF
THE PLAN THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED, AND SOME OF THE
SMALLER GROUPS HAD ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE ON IT.
I TOLD YOU I'D INTRODUCE THE TOPIC OF STRATEGY
FOR THE DATA RELEASE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IF YOU
HAVE READ THE PLAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU DID OR NOT,
BUT PROBABLY ONE OF THE MAIN ASPECTS OF IT WAS THAT WE TIED
THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PLAN TO THE OVERALL DOT STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS NOT A SEPARATE INITIATIVE,
IT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE WEAVED INTO THE FABRIC OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. WE HAVE GOALS THAT OBVIOUSLY
HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE SAFE MOVEMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
WE DO HAVE A GOAL OF MAKING COMMUNITIES MORE LIVEABLE,
SO WE HAVE SOME STRATEGIC GOALS, AND RATHER THAN HAVING OPEN
GOVERNMENT BEING OFF ON THE SIDE AS A SEPARATE INITIATIVE,
WE WEAVED IT INTO AN ORGANIZATION OF EXCELLENCE.
SO WE LOOKED AT OPEN GOVERNMENT, HOW CAN OPEN GOVERNMENT MAKE THE
MISSION OF DOT GO MORE SMOOTHLY. HOW CAN WE HAVE PEOPLE
COLLABORATE, PARTICIPATE, AND BE MORE TRANSPARENT IN DOING
THE THINGS THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DOES.
SO THERE IS NO OFFICE OF OPEN GOVERNMENT,
THERE IS NO SEPARATE INITIATIVE, SEPARATE LINE ITEM
IN THE BUDGET, IN FACT THERE IS NO BUDGET.
OPEN GOVERNMENT WAS APPROACHED AS A WAY THAT WE'RE
GOING TO DO THINGS, THE SAME THINGS THAT WE DO OR
WOULD HAVE TO DO ANYWAY AS PART OF OUR MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION. WE WEAVED IT IN, WE APPROACHED
IT VERY STRATEGICALLY, DID A SWOT ANALYSIS,
WHAT ARE OUR STRENGTHS, WHAT ARE OUR WEAKNESSES,
WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES, WHAT ARE THE THREATS.
AND TIED IT TO THE OVERALL PLAN. ALL RIGHT.
I KNOW WE'RE PRESSED FOR TIME SO WE'LL TRY TO GO THROUGH
RELATIVELY QUICKLY. SO LINE OF SIGHT,
ONCE WE FIGURED OUT HOW WE WOULD TIE IT IN TO THE OVERALL
STRATEGIC PLAN, IT OBVIOUSLY HAD TO TRICKLE DOWN
TO BE MORE USEFUL FOR THE INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES,
OBVIOUSLY THROUGH THE OPERATING ADMINISTRATIONS EACH ONE HAS
THEIR OWN STRATEGIC PLAN THAT TIES TO THE DEPARTMENTS,
AND AT A PROGRAM LEVEL. WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE COULD UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW THEY WOULD BE AFFECTED
AND HOW THEY WOULD BE DOING BUSINESS DIFFERENTLY,
NOT NECESSARILY THEY WOULD DO A DIFFERENT BUSINESS,
BUT DOING WHATEVER MISSION OR BUSINESS THEY'RE
IN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. WE LOOKED AT IT, I MEAN,
THE DIRECTIVE WAS FOR A TWO-YEAR PLAN AND WE REALIZED THAT WE
WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE CULTURE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS,
IT'S TAKEN DECADES TO GET WHERE WE ARE NOW, GOOD OR BAD.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT WE NEED TO,
EITHER WAY WE NEED TO CHANGE IT. IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE US ABOUT
FIVE YEARS TO CHANGE IT. WE DON'T HAVE AN EXPECTATION
THAT PEOPLE WOULD RESPOND AND CHANGE AUTOMATICALLY JUST
BECAUSE WE TOLD THEM THEY NEED TO BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY.
IT'S, THE CULTURES, WE KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT IN THE OPERATING ADMINISTRATIONS THAT HAVE
THEIR OWN CULTURE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT,
SO EVEN AS A DEPARTMENT WE'RE NOT AS UNIFIED.
WELL, ANYWAY, TWO YEARS WE'LL GET TO THE NEXT
ITERATION OF THE PLAN, WE'LL EVALUATE WHERE WE ARE AND
PROGRESS FROM THERE. WE EXPECT A FULL CHANGE TO OCCUR
WITHIN FIVE YEARS. A LOT OF INFORMATION HERE,
BUT ESSENTIALLY WE LOOKED AT ALL THE DIFFERENT GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES THAT WE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH, SO THE FIRST THING,
THAT'S WHAT DROVE THE FACT THAT WE CANNOT MAKE IT IN TWO YEARS,
WE HAVE TO PUSH IT OUT TO FIVE. WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS FILTER,
PRIORITIZE TO SEE WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE IMMEDIATELY THAT WOULD
LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE, BECAUSE CERTAIN THINGS
HAVE TO OCCUR, AND TO HAVE INTERDEPENDENCIES SO
THEY CANNOT BE DONE -- THEY CAN'T BE DONE UNTIL SOME OTHER
THINGS HAVE CHANGED. SO WE LOOKED AT WHAT WE NEEDED
TO DO IMMEDIATELY. AND SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE
WORKING ON NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU'LL HEAR FROM JENN LATER ON,
IT'S AN IDEATION TOOL. AND THOSE WERE SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT WERE ALREADY IN THE WORKS,
THEY WILL LEAD THE WAY FOR CERTAIN THINGS COMING ON LATER.
WE TRIED TO LAY THE FRAMEWORK DOWN FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT.
THERE WAS DISCUSSION EARLIER ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE CAN'T JUST JUMP IN AND HAVE EVERYBODY ON FACEBOOK YET.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS LAY OUT A FRAMEWORK FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE
TO GET ON IT, SO WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP THE POLICY,
WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP THE SERVICE CATALOG,
WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO
FIND THAT CATALOG, AND IF THEY HAVE A NEED,
THEY KNOW WHERE TO GO. AND THIS IS ALL STUFF THAT'S
RELATIVELY NEW FOR US, AND WE'RE LEARNING
AS WE GO ALONG. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING,
WE DIDN'T HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY, WE DIDN'T HAVE A
BUSINESS SERVICE CATALOG, AND LO AND BEHOLD IT TURNS OUT
THAT EVERYBODY WAS GOING OUT AND DOING THEIR OWN THING AND NOBODY
KNEW ABOUT IT. BUT IN THE ABSENCE
OF THE FRAMEWORK, THAT'S PROBABLY TO BE EXPECTED.
SO IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAKING
SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT RELATES TO THE FOUNDATION FOR
THE FUTURE IS PERFECTED. OKAY.
SO, YEAH. IT'S PROBABLY A
WHOLE LOT OF DETAIL, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO GET INTO
SOME OF THE MORE SPECIFICS. THE FOCUS, ONCE AGAIN,
YOU'LL HEAR IT A LITTLE BIT MORE SO I'M JUST GOING
TO INTRODUCE IT. UNDER PARTICIPATION,
WE HAD THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE FIRST TIME POSTED AND USING
A TOOL THAT WE USE FOR THE OPEN GOV PLAN, WHICH WAS A DS SCALE
THAT GSA PUT TOGETHER. WE USED THE SAME FOR THE DOT
STRATEGIC PLAN AND CREATED WAY MORE COMMENTS THAN WE HAD
RECEIVED IN THE PAST. CREATED A LOT MORE VALUABLE
COMMENTS THAN WE HAD RECEIVED IN THE PAST,
WHERE ALL WE HAD AS A MEANS OF COMMENTING WAS E-MAIL.
WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING FOR THE FAA,
THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN IS GOING TO BE POSTED ANY TIME NOW
USING THE SAME TOOLS. SO WE ARE BUILDING UPON THAT.
WE HAVE AN E-RULE MAKING INITIATIVE WHEREBY THIS
REGULATION ROOM THAT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO
COMMENT ON THE DIFFERENT RULES, UNDER COLLABORATION,
PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS, WE WERE DOING SOME BEFORE,
IT HAS PICKED UP QUITE A BIT. UNDER CULTURE CHANGE,
AS I MENTIONED ABOUT THE IDEATION TOOL BEING,
GOING TO BE DEPLOYED IMMINENTLY, IT'S VERY DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, THIS IS NOT THE OLD SUGGESTION BOX THAT IS PRETTY
MUCH A SHREDDER, YOU JUST PUT YOUR IDEA IN AND IT DISAPPEARS,
IT'S GOING TO BE A ROBUST WAY FOR EMPLOYEES TO GET INVOLVED,
PROVIDE THEIR IDEAS AND TRACK THAT IDEA,
AND THEN CONNECT WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR
INTERESTS AND IDEAS AND SEE IF THEY CAN BUILD ON IT.
SO THAT WHEN YOU THROW SOMETHING OUT IT'S NOT JUST
GOING TO BE ONE VOICE, BUT YOU'LL START HOPEFULLY A
DEBATE THAT WILL LEAD TO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL.
JUST, I GUESS THE NEXT ONE, I'LL PASS IT ON TO YOU.
OKAY. SO THAT SETS THE STAGE,
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JENN, WHO WILL TELL YOU ABOUT
SPECIFICALLY SOME OF THE INITIATIVES WE WERE INVOLVED IN.
>> THANK YOU, GIOVANNI. WHOA, THAT'S KIND OF LOUD.
ALL RIGHT, SO I'M GOING TO RUN YOU GUYS
THROUGH FOUR OF OUR PARTICIPATION COLLABORATION
INITIATIVES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS WANTED US TO COME AND
TALK ABOUT A LITTLE ABOUT TODAY, WAS INTERNAL PARTICIPATION AND
COLLABORATION AS WELL AS EXTERNAL PARTICIPATION
AND COLLABORATION. SO WE'LL FOCUS A LITTLE BIT
HERE ON SOME OF THE EXTERNAL PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION
INITIATIVES WE'RE DOING. THERE'S FOUR OF THEM THAT
WE'LL MENTION TODAY. THERE'S MORE THAN FOUR THAT
WE'RE DOING, BUT THERE'S FOUR THAT WE'LL TALK THROUGH TODAY.
AND THESE WILL HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU SOME TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR
ELEVATOR SPEECH WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOR
AND PITCH OPEN GOVERNMENT AND GET THEM EXCITED ABOUT IT.
SO HOPEFULLY I'LL GIVE YOU SOME GOOD STATS YOU CAN JUST PULL OUT
OF YOUR POCKET AND BE ABLE TO USE WHEN YOU'RE PITCHING
THIS TO OTHER PEOPLE, AND GETTING OTHER PEOPLE AROUND
SOCIAL SECURITY EXCITED ABOUT OPEN GOVERNMENT.
THE FIRST IS OUR FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE, WHICH IS OUR CORE,
CORNELL E RULE MAKING INITIATIVE, WE'RE DOING IT IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH CORNELL, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN IN
THE WORKS FOR ABOUT THE LAST YEAR OR SO,
I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT.
OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE'VE DONE USING THE IDEA SCALE TOOL,
AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING, THERE'S A LOT OF ENERGY AROUND
DOT RIGHT NOW USING THIS SPECIFICALLY FOR A LOT
OF PUBLIC COMMENT. THE SECOND PIECE OR THE THIRD
PIECE IS WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH INTERNAL IDEATION.
SO WE FEEL LIKE THE GROUNDWORK FOR DOING MORE INNOVATIVE
WORK WITH OUR, WITH THE PUBLIC IS BEING MORE
OPEN TO OURSELVES FIRST. WE HAVE A LOT OF CULTURE
ISSUES THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH AT THE DEPARTMENT,
SO THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN DO IS MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES FEEL
COMFORTABLE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK UP WITH THEIR GOOD IDEAS AND
THEN PROVE THAT WE WILL ACT ON THEIR GOOD IDEAS AND ACTUALLY
IMPLEMENT THEM AND LISTEN. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT THAT, IT'S CALLED THE IDEA HUB PROGRAM, AND THAT'S
ACTUALLY GOING TO BE LAUNCHING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
THAT'S CONSUMED MY LIFE FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
AND THEN THE CULTURE CHANGE PIECES.
SOME OF THE MORE PRACTICAL FOUNDATIONAL THINGS THAT WE'RE
DOING IN POLICY, CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY TO SET
THE FOUNDATION, LIKE GIOVANNI WAS REFERENCING,
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN FUTURE INITIATIVES
THAT WE MOVE INTO. SO THE CERI INITIATIVE.
THE CERI INITIATIVE WAS ACTUALLY LAUNCHED RIGHT BEFORE WE
PUBLISHED OUR OPEN GOVERNMENT PLAN WITH THE FIRST
RULE BEING LAUNCHED, WAS THE FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHED AN NPRM FOR TEXTING BAN SO ANY
DRIVER OF A TRUCK, BASICALLY SAYING THEY WERE GOING
TO ISSUE A RULE THAT SAYS YOU CAN'T TEXT WHILE DRIVING.
THAT'S A BIG -- THAT GOES WITH THE WHOLE DISTRACTED
DRIVING MISSION, MISSION PUSH THAT THE SECRETARY
IS MAKING RIGHT NOW. HE'S BEEN ON OPRAH,
HE'S PUSHING A LOT OF DISTRACTED DRIVING RIGHT NOW, MAKING
SURE THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. AND THIS IS AN EFFORT IN THE
RULE-MAKING SPACE TO TRY TO USE ONE OF OUR LEVERS,
OUR POLICY LEVERS TO TRY TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT PEOPLE
TEXT AND DRIVE BEHIND THE WHEEL. SO WHAT THIS IS IS THE DOT,
OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL, PARTNERED WITH CORNELL TO CREATE
A TOOL THAT YOU CAN ACCESS AT REGULATION ROOM.ORG.
YOU HAVE TO DO A LOGIN AND PASSWORD, BUT YOU CAN GO IN
THERE AND LINE BY LINE COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED RULE.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE IF YOU'VE SEEN AN IDEA SCALE OR YOU'VE SEEN
SOME OF THESE TOOLS, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ON
THIS ON THE STRATEGIC OR THE PUBLIC COMMENT PIECE.
IT'S NOT JUST YOU KIND OF SUBMIT A GENERAL IDEA ABOUT A 30-PAGE
DOCUMENT, IT'S SPECIFIC LINE, WORD, LINE BY LINE THAT YOU CAN
COMMENT AND START A DISCUSSION THREAD AT A SPECIFIC PLACE IN
THE DOCUMENT. CLOSER TO A WIKI,
IT'S LIKE A HYBRID BETWEEN A WIKI AND IDEATION TOOL,
BUT THEN WHAT THE COOLEST PART IS THEY ACTUALLY HAVE FREE LABOR
WITH THE LAW INTERNS OVER AT CORNELL WHERE THEY GET THESE
STUDENTS TO GO ON AND MODERATE THE DISCUSSIONS.
SO THEY GET SCALED UP IN THE RULE BEFORE IT'S RELEASED AND
THEN THEY MODERATE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE ISSUES
THEY CARE ABOUT IN THAT RULE TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE REALLY GETTING
AT THE TRUE ISSUES. AND THEY'RE NOT JUST GETTING AT,
YOU KNOW, 8000 OF THE SAME FORM COMMENT
THAT'S SUBMITTED THAT WE STATUTORILY HAVE TO RESPOND TO
EVERY SINGLE ONE. IT'S A DIFFERENT WAY OF GETTING
THE PUBLIC'S OPINION ON A RULE. NOW THIS IS A DOT ORG,
THIS IS NOT A DOT GOV, SO WHAT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE
ABOUT THIS IS THAT ANY, WHAT CORNELL DOES IS THEY CREATE
KIND OF A CONSENSUS DOCUMENT OR RECOMMENDATION OF THE
CONVERSATIONS THEY HAD ON THE RULE USING,
GETTING PEOPLE THERE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADVERTISING TO
SPECIFIC GROUPS THEY KNOW WILL CARE AND THEY SUBMIT THAT
ACTUALLY FORMALLY THROUGH THE DOCKET BECAUSE DOT CAN ONLY TAKE
IN COMMENTS ON RULES FORMALLY THROUGH THE DOCKET,
SO CORNELL SUBMITS A FORMAL COMMENT THAT'S CONSIDERED JUST
LIKE ALL THE OTHER ONES, THROUGH THE DOCKET.
SAME THING GOES FOR THE PROPOSED AIRLINE CONSUMER
PROTECTION RULE. THIS ONE'S REALLY INTERESTING
BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE VOLUME BETWEEN RULES ARE VERY
DIFFERENT. THERE WERE OVER 2,000
UNIQUE COMMENTORS ON FEMSA'S RULE.
FOR THE AIRLINE RULE, IT'S STILL OPEN AND THERE'S BEEN
OVER 12,000 UNIQUE VISITORS. THEY'RE NOT EVEN NECESSARILY
COMMENTING BUT THEY'RE VISITING, THEY'RE THERE, THEY'RE READING,
THEY'RE INTERESTED, AND MOST OF THEM ARE INTERESTED
IN PEANUT ALLERGIES, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH.
SO THIS ALSO GIVES YOU KINDS OF A HEADS UP ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE
CARE ABOUT IN THIS AREA BEFORE ALL OF THE COMMENTS COME IN
THROUGH THE DOCKET. SO YOU'RE GETTING AN EARLY VIEW
ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE COMMENTS ON THESE RULES MIGHT BE.
SO RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST A PILOT. WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF IT WORKS,
IF IT ADDS A LOT OF VALUE KIND OF IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE DOING
IT AS A DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE A LONG LINE OF PEOPLE
NOW FROM THE OA'S THAT ARE COMING TO US SAYING WE WANT TO
PUT A RULE IN THERE WHEN MONTHS AGO NO ONE HAD HEARD OF IT,
NOW EVERYONE WANTS TO PUT A RULE IN IT, BUT WE CAN ONLY DO
ONE AT A TIME. SO WE'RE JUST PILOTING RIGHT NOW
BUT IT'S GOING VERY, VERY WELL. THE SECOND PIECE,
PUBLIC COMMENT, I'M USING IDEA SCALE.
FIRST OF ALL, I CAN'T SAY HOW IMPORTANT IT'S
BEEN FOR DOT TO HAVE GSA HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS ON IDEA
SCALE FOR US TO ALLOW US TO USE IT BY DOING THE POLICY WORK THAT
THEY NEEDED TO DO ON PRA, ON COOKIES,
ON ALL THE POLICY STUFF THAT THEY GOT DONE ON IDEA SCALE THAT
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO MADE IT A LOT EASIER FOR US TO USE IT.
MEANING THAT WE CAN USE IT, JUST AD HOCLY FOR THE
DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGIC PLAN PUBLIC COMMENT.
REALLY EASY, TOO. IT WAS $99 A MONTH.
IT WAS REALLY CHEAP, AND THE OFFICE OF POLICY REALLY
APPRECIATED THAT. SO THE INTERESTING THING HERE IS
FOR THE DOT DRAFT STRATEGIC COMMENT PLAN PERIOD WE HAD OVER
300 UNIQUE USERS. SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM
THAT, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE USED IDEA SCALE, SO IT'S
JUST A IDEA SUBMISSION TOOL. YOU PUT UP IDEAS AND THEN PEOPLE
COMMENT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S IDEAS SO IT'S NOT LIKE
REGULATION ROOM. REGULATION ROOM IS MUCH
MORE INTO THE WEAVES OF THE TEXT OF THE DOCUMENT.
THIS IS MORE, ALL RIGHT, READ THE 100 PAGE STRATEGIC
PLAN, NOW GIVE US YOUR GENERAL COMMENT.
SO WE ENDED UP GETTING A LOT OF ALMOST FORM COMMENTS.
THEY LOOKED REALLY LONG AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WHAT THEY WOULD
HAVE SENT IN THROUGH AN E-MAIL OR A LETTER IF THEY HAD HAD
ANOTHER FORMAL MECHANISM FOR SUBMITTING, IT WAS A
LOT OF THE SAME PEOPLE THAT USUALLY SUBMIT COMMENTS
ON THE STRAT PLAN, BUT NOW EVERYONE CAN SEE IT.
SO IT'S TRANSPARENT COMMENTING. AND WHAT'S INTERESTING HERE IS
THAT WE COULD HAVE HAD THE OPTION TO RESPOND AND
DRIVE COMMUNICATION, LIKE DRIVE A DISCUSSION WITH THE
PEOPLE THAT WERE COMMENTING, THAT WAS A CHOICE THAT WAS MADE
BY OUR POLICY OFFICE NOT TO DO THAT.
THEY JUST WANTED TO USE IT AS A FIRST STEP IN THE MATURITY
SPECTRUM OF THESE PRACTICES, THEY JUST WANTED TO USE IT AS A
MECHANISM TO TRANSPARENTLY RECEIVE COMMENTS.
BUT THEN ALSO PEOPLE'S IDEAS GOT VOTED ON.
AND WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS TO SEE WHOSE IDEAS GOT VOTED
SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN, LIKE NEGATIVE 200, WHICH ARE,
AND THEY'RE OFTENTIMES THOSE PEOPLE ARE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE
THAT WE LISTEN TO THE MOST AT DOT, SOMETIMES.
SO IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE VOTING THEM DOWN ON THIS
TOOL AND NOT LIKING THEIR IDEAS. SO THAT WAS INTERESTING.
THE OTHER THING THAT WAS INTERESTING IS LITERALLY OVER
75% OF THE COMMENTS CAME IN IN THE LAST DAY OF THE OPEN PERIOD.
SO IF WE HAD HAD MORE IDEAS COME IN EARLIER IN THE PROCESS WE
WOULD HAVE EXPECTED MORE CONVERSATION, MORE COMMENTS ON
THOSE IDEAS, BUT SINCE THEY CAME IN SO LATE THERE WAS NOT REALLY
THAT MUCH OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCUSSION AMONGST
THE COMMUNITY. SO WHAT WE MIGHT DO THE NEXT
TIME AROUND IS DO MORE PUBLIC AFFAIRS PUSHES EARLIER ON TO TRY
TO GET MORE PEOPLE COMMENTING ON THERE AND MAYBE TELL THEM A
DEADLINE BUT THEN EXTEND IT BY A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET SOME
CONVERSATION GOING. BUT THERE WASN'T MUCH
CONVERSATION BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT PEOPLE WERE,
THE PEOPLE WE WERE TARGETING TO GIVE US COMMENTS WERE USED TO
THE OLD CULTURE AS WELL, WHICH IS JUST SEND
IT IN THE LAST DAY. THEY'RE NOT USED TO THAT WHOLE
CONVERSATION THING. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR CULTURE,
TOO, IT'S NOT JUST OUR CULTURE CHANGE.
AND THEN YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE OPEN GOV COMMENT
PROCESS BECAUSE YOU GUYS DID IT HERE TOO AS WELL.
IDEA HUB, THIS IS A COOL PROGRAM ON A FEW DIFFERENT LEVELS.
FIRST, DOT IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST DEPARTMENT, DHS TRIED TO BE THE
FIRST DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY HAD UNION ISSUES IN GETTING THIS
THING OFF THE GROUND FOR THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT AT
THE SAME TIME. TSA STARTED IT.
THEY WERE THE FIRST IDEATION PROGRAM FOR THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT BACK IN 2007. AND DHS TRIED TO DEPLOY IT
DEPARTMENT WIDE, SO HAVING ALL THE AGENCIES ALSO HAVE IDEA
FACTORY PROGRAMS, THEY RAN INTO BIG UNION ISSUES AT ONE OF THE
OA'S, AND SO THEY WERE UNABLE TO DEPLOY,
AND THEY'RE STILL NOT ABLE TO DEPLOY BECAUSE OF THAT.
THEY'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
KNOWING THAT, AND DOT WANTING TO DEPLOY
DEPARTMENT WIDE, WE STARTED DEALING WITH THE
UNIONS REALLY SOON. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
UNIONS EVER SINCE WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO GO TO DEPARTMENT
WIDE ON THIS, SO THAT WE WOULDN'T FACE THAT
RISK DOWNSTREAM. BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE
LAUNCHING EARLY AUGUST WITH OUR IDEA HUB PROGRAM,
AND WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY BE THE FIRST DEPARTMENT THAT HAS A
DEPARTMENT WIDE IDEATION PROGRAM, MEANING THE WHOLE
DEPARTMENT HAS IT AND ALL OF OUR SUB BUREAUS, OPERATING
ADMINISTRATIONS, AGENCIES, WHATEVER YOU CALL THEM AT
DIFFERENT PLACES. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE
TEN OR ELEVEN UNIQUE PROGRAM OFFICES AROUND IDEA HUB.
SO THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING BUSINESS PROCESS TO
TRY TO GET THE RESOURCES FOR THOSE PROGRAM OFFICES AND TO TRY
TO GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT ASKING EMPLOYEES TO SUBMIT THEIR
IDEAS AND TO TRY TO GET EMPLOYEES WILLING TO GO
ON AND SUBMIT IDEAS. OUR CULTURE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU
GUYS ARE AWARE, BUT THERE'S THIS THING CALLED THE EMPLOYEE
SATISFACTION SURVEY THAT THEY DO EVERY YEAR.
DOT'S NEVER AT THE TOP, EVER. WE'RE VERY,
VERY FAR AT THE BOTTOM, USUALLY. AND FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD,
WE ACTUALLY JUMPED UP A FEW THIS YEAR, SO IT'S A GOOD NEWS STORY,
BUT WE'RE STILL NOT, WE'RE JUST OUT OF THE SUBBASEMENT.
NOW WE'RE JUST IN THE BASEMENT. BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK WE
NEED TO DO WITH PROVING TO OUR EMPLOYEES THAT
LEADERSHIP IS LISTENING, LETTING THESE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE
THEY'RE COMMUNICATED WITH ON DECISION MAKING,
AND MAKING THEM FEEL EMPOWERED. THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL US EVERY
YEAR IN THE EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEY
THAT THEY DON'T FEEL. SO THIS TOOL IS A WAY
TO GIVE THEM AN OUTLET TO FEEL EMPOWERED,
TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING
TO THEM ON THE IDEAS, THE ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT.
I'LL THROW OUT ONE EXAMPLE HERE. AT TSA, WHO IS, YOU KNOW,
THE PEOPLE THAT KIND OF STARTED THIS WHOLE INTERNAL IDEATION
THING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE MAJORITY OF
THEIR WORKFORCE ARE THE TSO'S THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
OFFICERS IN THE FIELD AT THE AIRPORTS.
THOSE PEOPLE HAVE A REALLY HARD JOB, VERY HARD JOB,
AND THEY DON'T GET PAID VERY MUCH TO DO IT.
AND SO ONE WOULD EXPECT THAT WHEN IDEA TOOL OPENS, THAT A
COMMON IDEA FOR THEM WOULD BE WE SHOULD GET PAID MORE.
SO THAT IDEA COMES IN A LOT. A LOT AT TSA.
AND AT THE BEGINNING IT CAME IN A TON.
AND WHAT THIS TOOL GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO DO IS THE PROGRAM
OFFICE ACTUALLY RESPONDS WITH THE STATUS OF AN IDEA AFTER IT'S
BEEN EVALUATED SO YOU RESPOND WITH THE MESSAGE OF THE WHY.
IF YOU CAN'T IMPLEMENT SOMETHING IT'S NOT JUST A BLACK HOLE
SUGGESTION BOX, IT'S ALL RIGHT, THIS IS UNDER EVALUATION,
WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVALUATING YOUR IDEA,
AND ONCE WE'VE EVALUATED IT, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW THUMBS UP,
THUMBS DOWN OR, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY THIS IS REALLY HARD SO
THIS IS GOING TO TAKE US MORE THAN A MONTH TO EVALUATE.
SO STAY TUNED, BUT WE PROMISE, WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
SO THEY'LL RESPOND AT THE PLACE THE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GOING TO
GET INFORMATION ON THIS, THIS ISSUE,
THEY'LL RESPOND AT THAT POINT. SO THEY'D GO BACK IN THAT
COMMENT STREAM AND SAY THE REASONS WHY.
YOU KNOW, AUTHORIZATION LANGUAGE,
WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, SAY THE REASON WHY THEY CAN'T.
AND THAT CAN CHANGE OVER TIME. IT COULD CHANGE OVER TIME.
BUT IT GIVES THEM A POINT WHERE THEY CAN REACH A LOT OF THE
POPULATION AND OVER 30,000 REGISTERED USERS AT TSA OUT
OF THEIR POPULATION, THEY'RE A TSO POPULATION OF OVER 40,000.
OVER 75% OF THEIR TSO POPULATION IS ON THIS TOOL.
THAT'S REACHING A LOT OF THEIR EMPLOYEES AND YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO GET THAT THROUGH A BROADCAST MESSAGE.
BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE, IT'S DELETE.
SO, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IDEA HUB.
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF HEADACHES,
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED.
IT'S INNOVATION SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND WE'RE WILLING TO COME AND
SHARE WITH YOU GUYS, TOO, IF THIS WAS SOMETHING YOU GUYS
WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THINKING ABOUT, WE'LL SHARE OUR LESSONS
LEARNED IN THIS SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU AS WELL.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE, AND I'LL DO THIS REALLY QUICKLY,
IS WE ALLUDED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TO SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO LAY THE FOUNDATION IN TECHNOLOGY,
POLICY AND CULTURE. TECHNOLOGY, WE KNOW THAT IF WE
DON'T TELL PEOPLE WHAT TOOLS THEY CAN USE WE'RE NOT
EMPOWERING THEM TO USE TOOLS, SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOME
WAY TO VET ALL THESE DIFFERENT WEB 2.0 TOOLS THROUGH THE POLICY
TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE HURDLES. IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS.
SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW OF FIGURING OUT HOW WE'RE
GOING TO DEVELOP A NEW MEDIA TOOL KIT.
THAT'S ONE EMPOWERMENT PIECE. THE SECOND PIECE IS UPDATING OUR
POLICIES, LIKE GIOVANNI SAID, WE DIDN'T HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA
POLICY SO YESTERDAY WAS OUR KICK-OFF MEETING.
WE MET FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAD ABOUT 30 PEOPLE SHOW UP,
AND THERE WILL BE PROBABLY TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE THERE
THE NEXT TIME. THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST AROUND
THE DEPARTMENT AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT
THE LEVEL OF OPENNESS SHOULD BE. SO IT SHOULD BE A VERY
INTERESTING PROCESS. AND THEN FOR CULTURE,
WE WOULD LOVE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE YOU GUYS ARE DOING
TODAY VERY MUCH, AND WE MAY ASK FOR YOU GUYS TO
RETURN THE FAVOR AND COME BACK AND SPEAK TO US WHEN IT'S TIME
FOR US TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AT DOT.
BUT I WOULD JUST, JUST ENCOURAGE YOU ALL AND SAY
THAT IT IS A SHIFT, BUT IT'S A SHIFT FOR EVERYBODY.
IT'S NOT JUST A SHIFT FOR THE EXECUTIVES IN THE ROOM OR THE
STAFF IN THE ROOM OR EVEN THE STAKEHOLDERS OUT IN THE FIELD,
IT'S A SHIFT FOR EVERYBODY. I MEAN THIS IS A DIFFERENT WAY
OF INTERACTING THAN WE'VE EVER INTERACTED BEFORE,
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE,
AND IT'S GOING TO BE FRUSTRATING, AND IT'S GOING TO,
THERE'S NOT GUIDANCE, REALLY, FOR IT.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP GUIDANCE,
BUT WE'RE PUTTING GUIDANCE THROUGH AN UNKNOWN PROCESS IN A
LOT OF WAYS. SO THAT'S EXCITING,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A LITTLE SCARY.
SO I WOULD SAY JUST GRAB ON TO THE EXCITING PART AND GET
EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S NEW AND INNOVATIVE AND COOL IN
THE GOVERNMENT AND HANG ON TO IT, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T COME
AROUND THAT OFTEN. SO GET REALLY,
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOR,
HOPEFULLY ABOUT SOME OF THE TALKING POINTS THAT WE'RE
HOPEFULLY ABLE TO GIVE YOU TODAY, AND IF WE'VE GOT TIME FOR
QUESTIONS WE CAN TAKE THEM, BUT I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY OVER,
SO I APOLOGIZE. >> THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE] >> KEEP YOU ON THE STAGE,
THANKS. AND JUST REAL QUICK,
BEFORE GIOVANNI EXITS THE STAGE, WE'RE GOING TO BRING HIM BACK.
WE ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU AND JENN FOR COMING AND FOR
YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT OF TIME.
FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE AWARENESS DAY WE HEREBY CONFER
UPON YOU THE HONORARY TITLE OF OPEN SSA EMPLOYEE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND JENN, WE HAVE ONE COMING
ON THE WAY TO YOU AS WELL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU. DOES IT MEAN I CAN GET
IN THE BUILDING NOW? [LAUGHTER]

[APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU.