Data is a strategic asset that has been left un-leveraged by many federal agencies.
A study conducted by Jane Wiseman of Harvard has identified a crying need for more Chief Data Officers in federal government. Wiseman’s analysis found that among the ten largest federal agencies, only three have CDOs.
A fuller account of Wiseman’s study was published in MeriTalk:
Wiseman’s research across publicly available records finds that among the ten largest Federal agencies by budget, only three agencies, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Transportation, have CDOs.
In addition, the roles of the CDO may not properly be defined across organizations. Pivotal responsibilities that might fall under their purview are being spread thinly across technology shops, or otherwise left unaddressed.
“I’ve interviewed every city CDO, a number of state CDOs, a bunch of Federal CDOs. There are not two CDOs in the United States with the same job description,” Wiseman said.
