7.0: Flagship Initiative
Iidentify projects for the Department’s Flagship Initiative. Other Information:
The USDA Open Government Executive Board has identified two projects for the Department’s Flagship Initiative. The flagship
initiatives are examples of open government in action at USDA, and serve as the best examples of embracing transparency, participation,
and collaboration. The two initiatives for USDA are the Forest System Land Management Planning Rule and the Food and Nutrition
Service’s Healthy Kids Challenge. In addition, USDA is planning on further refining and developing other initiatives as candidates
for future flagship initiatives. Candidate Flagship Initiative Considerations - The collaboration strategy for developing
a new planning rule has the potential to become a model for not just future Forest Service rule writing, but for other Departmental
Agencies. In the spirit of transparency, we have our collaboration strategy posted on our planning rule Web site. Not only
does this demonstrate our commitment to collaboration and participation to the American people, it serves as a resource for
other Agencies. With sufficient resources, leveraging from the USFS Planning Rule, EPA’s Rulemaking Gateway, and other efforts,
USDA is exploring creating a crosscutting model platform for transparent policy participation, collaboration, and education.
Through an iterative, systematic, pilot-based approach, the USDA Policy and Education Gateway would provide a transparent
way to facilitate collaboration and keep track of selected rulemakings, guidance documents, and issuances for employees, customers,
and the general public. In its full implementation, it would provide a one-stop shopping center for anyone interested in a
particular policy topic – with information on the origin of the policy and its evolution, as well as training and education
materials. Feedback mechanisms would be strategically embedded. This would be the public facing site. Through a role-based
process, authorized USDA employees and authorized USDA contractors and cooperators would have access to a linked “internal”
site with additional draft information on a particular topic and tools, so that they can add in their comments on drafts and
share best practices to support USDA’s mission. The working policy drafts could be housed on the internal site. Currently,
agencies publish information on proposed and final rules on Regulations.gov and the Federal Register. Individual customers
can post or mail in comments, but have little opportunity to collaborate on actually developing a rule or to see each other’s
comments and build on them. Also, the supporting documents for the policy, such as the legal mandate and the training materials
and press releases, are often housed in different places. Farmers and ranchers as well as employees and sister agencies need
access to reliable program information quickly and with timely opportunity to share their knowledge and experience. The USDA
Policy and Education Gateway would level the playing field and allow everyone to have a voice through role-based access. This
project furthers all four strategic goals as contained in the USDA FY 2010-2015 draft Strategic Plan by enhancing the way
that programs are developed and implemented, to ensure that USDA truly is the “People’s Department.” The project also supports
the Management Initiatives in the Strategic Plan, particularly in engaging employees and increasing access to USDA programs
and services in an equitable manner that optimizes information technology. Through the Open Government Governance Board, the
Policy and Education Gateway Workgroup will explore this concept and the resources needed to bring it into reality. The benefits
of this project include: * Demonstrates Leadership in transforming USDA culture to a more transparent, participatory, and
collaborative, unified and service based Department. * Supports all strategic goals and management initiatives in the USDA
Strategic Plan as well as the Secretary’s Cultural Transformation Initiative. * Demonstrates cross-agency benefit as the gateway
that would be used throughout USDA and could be readily transferable to other agencies. * Uses feedback loops to continuously
improve and uses performance metrics that complement USDA Strategic Plan.
Objective(s):
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