In the United States, when you create something of value, the federal Government protects your ability to benefit from your work by various laws and regulations which are collectively described as “Intellectual Property” or “IP.”  This is rooted in Article 1 of the US Constitution, wherein our Founders recognized the importance of protection of original speech and works, and which over time has been codified in various laws and regulations.  It’s a complex topic, but one which you can routinely navigate by understanding some basic principles.

Task order contracts are notoriously difficult to staff because task orders are commonly released with little or no notice.  No contractor to the federal government has the luxury of keeping a “bench” of available employees, particularly those with premium skills and clearances.  The author’s “Progressive Staffing Implementation” pushed the recruiting process far earlier than the announcement of an individual task order.  His experience using Six Sigma techniques provides planning guidance and a rule-of-thumb for the throughput recruiting needed to successfully staff for task orders.  

While IT systems are fundamental to the operations of the US Government, failures in large-scale Federal Information Technology (IT) projects are regrettably common. While Technology and IT governance have matured, the Federal IT workforce still lags in other foundational skills. Leadership, communications, understanding of contracts, and the balance of schedule and cost are equally necessary for the project participants to move beyond their assigned tasks and work to solve project-level challenges and achieve overall project success.