Women in Nova Discuss Innovation and Agility

In February, the chapter's Women in NOVA (WIN) lunch panel discussed Innovation and Agility. Our speakers were Lt. Col. (P) Anne Wiersgalla, USA, director, Strategic Initiatives Group (SIG)/Strategic Communications Headquarters Department of the Army, Chief Information Officer/G6 and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Samantha Haberlach, deputy director, Human Capital Management Practice, Definitive Logic. Our moderator, Patty St. George, senior partner, KPMG Inc., introduced the panelists and engaged them in a variety of questions about how their organizations are supporting innovation and the challenges of doing this within the Defense Department policies and regulations. Col. Wiersgalla spoke about innovation in terms of the era of strategic competition. She cited innovations in warfare throughout the ages: fortified buildings, stirrups, gun powder, tanks, airplane, nuclear age and social media. The colonel suggested there is a need to examine how to change the character of war in order to overmatch our strategic competition. These changes may take place through artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous devices or other capabilities. A balance between the Defense Department's need for innovation and the realistic application of innovation is also required. The Army is moving to risk-based processes and how risk changes over the near-term, mid-term and long-term. Col. Haberlach spoke about the military's mission to show power to preserve peace. Changes are being made to achieve this mission. The Defense Department is moving from requirements-based processes to outcome-based processes; the military is shifting from custom-built applications to using what is available and proven; and the acquisition community is transitioning from waterfall-style acquisition to one that better supports innovation and agile development. This is an example of an area where industry can support the government by looking for commonalities between the military and commercial business and to develop solutions. A topic echoed by both panelists was to start small and fail fast. They recommended that industry invest in pilots and proofs of concepts rather than just presenting ideas. Industry needs to prove its value and show how their work with the government has impacted the way the government does business. This was WIN's second program for fiscal year 2019. Mark your calendars for the remaining FY19 WIN panel discussions: April 25, 2019, breakfast, The Risk that Changed my Career; July 18, 2019, evening, Cultivating the Cyber Workforce of Tomorrow.

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