The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is in the midst of a change led by Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner. Skinner stressed the importance of understanding what the focus of transformation is and aligning the entire department with DISA’s innovation integration.
At the ServiceNow Federal Forum 2022 in Washington, DC, Skinner said DISA’s digital transformation includes restructuring to flatten the organizational structure, as well as a new strategic plan and budget alignment designed to capture the organization. on the same page of what is required.
“If you ask 10 individuals what digital transformation means, you get 10 different answers,” Skinner told the Renaissance Hotel today. “What I want to look at here is: how do we evolve and use digital technology to get what our warfighters need, and get what our customers and our mission partners need?”
For DISA, that means flattening the organizational structure to four directories last year. One focuses on digital capabilities and security, where DISA’s business services are located; another is the DISA hosting and computer center; an enterprise integration and innovation center; at DISA operations and infrastructure directorate.
Skinner said the enterprise integration and innovation center is the first of its kind at DISA and is led by Roger Greenwell, with DISA Chief Technology Officer Steve Wallace leading the emerging tech aspect of the directorate.
Skinner spoke highly of the restructuring but said two other keys to the digital transformation process at DISA include putting together a strategic plan and alignment with the agency’s budget.
The agency’s strategic plan has five areas of focus, with the first and most important priority for the agency being the modernization of command and control (C2).
“The number one priority within the agency is definitely C2,” Skinner said. “And how do we consolidate, secure, and modernize, and change how we do departmental command and control? And how do we use digital technology to get after that?”
“We have all kinds of old technology that is now no longer best value,” he added. “And of course, as we get older, it’s harder to maintain and harder to assure that command and control.”
Skinner made sure to point out the role of the agency’s budget alignment in its digital transformation.
DISA currently has approximately 19,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel and a budget just south of $ 12 billion through the use of a general fund and a working capital fund. As Skinner said, “so much capacity.”
However, to put that capacity to best use and to carry out its strategy, DISA’s budget alignment is essential.
“The approach without a budget is a pipe dream,” Skinner said. “While I would never turn down additional dollars from the department, we align our resources with priorities that allow our organizational structure to really capture the organizational design we’re trying to do.”
“To have digital transformation and change how we do business – that’s what I look at when we say change – it’s how you change how you do business, using technology to meet the future needs of our warriors, ”he added.
Skinner said he and the agency are also looking at how to create the best hybrid workforce as employees begin to return to the office in varying numbers and even after the COVID-19 pandemic has completely subsided.
“I don’t think we know what the new normal is; I don’t think we’re there yet, ”Skinner said. “I think the pendulum swings left and right. Everyone in the office is always in the office. And now we’re pretty much back and forth. … We want to always take care of our people. I mean, that’s the first and foremost. But the mission still needs to be finished. So, how do we ensure that the mission is done in the most optimized way? ”
Skinner said it’s important to find a balance between the social aspects that are received by working in an office as well as whether or not the people in the office really need to accomplish the mission. On the social aspect, Skinner said we are unlikely to see its full impact in five to 10 years.
“I think we’re going to be in a hybrid, and I think the new normal is kind of a hybrid, mission -based and people -based but, just as importantly, it’s organizationally and in the organizational team. can you have that cohesiveness, ”he said.