Data Driving the Future
On the latest episode of the FEDtalk podcast, the panel discussed the ways in which data is driving the future of work within and without the federal workforce. Host Jason Briefel spoke with Shane Canfield, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies – known inside the beltway as WAEPA, as well as WAEPA’s Senior Vice President of Operations Tony Zerante and Data Foundation President Nick Hart.
The group discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of data and elevated the importance of data literacy and leadership.
“The reality is the global pandemic has highlighted so many challenges about data and information management and needs that we have known about for a generation. In some ways that’s the frustrating thing here – that we have known about the problems we are currently encountering in an abstract way for quite a long time. But now we are phased with solving those in real time amidst the pandemic,” Hart explained.
The challenges have impacted the public and private sector alike. WAEPA representatives discussed how their organization has adjusted to the changing needs of their customers and embraced a data-centric future.
Canfield explained that WAEPA is approaching the issue from two angles. First is the “long term ability to package, manage, and collect data” that the company uses.
“This is not new, but the challenges are getting more and more complex. COVID did impact the need for more real time data and cause us to reconfirm and reimagine the metrics that are used in our world today,” Canfield explained.
Second, WAEPA has seen a transformation away from old methods of underwriting insurance programs. Canfield explained that previous methods of collecting information from customers have become impossible in the pandemic, requiring a modernization of process ahead of their time.
“COVID-19 is impacting our data – what we are collecting, how we are using and leveraging it. The medical underwriting example is a great one. There was a hundred years of doing what we do a certain way. There was very little deviation from that until the last few years,” Zerante continued to explain.
Hart focused on how agencies are using these technological innovations to create lasting changes and prioritize the importance of data advancements.
“I don’t know that I can describe what the new normal is yet, but I think there have been a lot of really amazing innovations that we have watched happen in real time over the last twelve to thirteen months, including in government… There is an increased recognition, particularly as employees went virtual, that [old methods and technologies] don’t work anymore… Beyond the pandemic, think about anti-poverty programs and making better eligibility decisions that might have implications for fraud detection or improper payments in government and getting the benefits right. Think about the speed that we can improve decisions on disability determinations in the Social Security Administration or Department of Veterans Affairs if we have better technology infrastructure,” Hart explained.
The guests continued to note how organizations and agencies can develop a strong foundation for building a data culture. Hart explained the benefits of strong Chief Data Officers within agencies and how agencies can elevate this role by increasing coordination and collaboration around data goals. The Data Foundation recently released a report on the topic called Structuring the Chief Data Office for Success. WAEPA also explained the role of leadership buy-in for ensuring data is a driver for change.
To learn more about the path to successful data governance and how agencies and organizations can use data to drive change, listen to the full FEDtalk show.
You can stream the show online anytime via the Federal News Network app and listen to the FEDtalk podcast on PodcastOne and Apple Podcasts.
FEDtalk is a live talk show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., a federal employment law firm. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993.
FEDtalk is sponsored by the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The FLTCIP is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, insured by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, under a group long term care insurance policy, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC (doing business as FedPoint).