Government agencies are continuing to integrate AI as use cases mature and pressure to increase efficiency grows. But implementing AI without a clear understanding of how the technology will enable the mission won’t deliver value, warns Ron Leidner, Vice President of Client Engagement at Maximus. In an interview with Federal News Network, Leidner shared the key to avoiding this outcome and maximizing the potential of AI: collaboration between business and IT from planning to implementation.
Typically, federal agencies’ technology projects have started as business cases that were then handed off to IT. “[You’d] go three years, and you’d find out the relationship between the business and IT has eroded, and the business doesn’t get what they expected,” Leidner said. In today’s fast-paced environment, where IT projects need to move quickly and deliver immediate results, leaders can no longer afford to “throw projects over the wall” and wait to receive the results.
Leidner’s alternative, a business-led, collaborative solutioning model, keeps both groups involved in the project and accountable for its success. While the balance between business and IT roles will vary by agency and mission—replacing hardware or servers will be led by IT, but technology in support of service delivery requires full business leadership involvement—maintaining alignment between leaders is critical to success.
Collaboration with purpose creates a shared understanding that empowers agencies to better align technology with mission goals. As agencies initiate more AI projects, working together to deliver value in small, measurable steps will empower them to modernize more quickly and demonstrate continuous progress.