Summary
This blog entry discusses a keynote address delivered by Steven Schliesman, Assistant Deputy CIO for Product Development at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the National Veterans Small Business Engagement Conference. The focus of the speech was on the evolution of the VA's legacy systems and the need for the department to leverage existing commercial market innovations to enhance service delivery to veterans. Schliesman highlighted the importance of changing internal processes, such as adopting a DevOps model to improve functionality reuse. However, he acknowledged the challenges posed by funding constraints due to recent budget cuts, which complicate the approval process for IT investments. The discussion included potential strategies for overcoming these obstacles, such as establishing a project management office and prioritizing proven commercial products. The entry concludes by inviting further dialogue on addressing the VA's operational complexities.
