Blockchain: Next-Gen Reporting to Reduce Agency Reporting Burden

[jstclair-HFT]

Topline Description Blockchain: Next-Gen Reporting to Reduce Agency Reporting Burden

Key Objective(s) Implement a government-wide blockchain/distributed ledger to satisfy Federal agency reporting requirements

Paragraph Description While government accountability in agency operations is paramount, The variety and periodicity of agency reports creates a significant burden on agency officials and OMB to compile, complete and submit reports and present them as required to Congress. Worse, Agency pressures and inefficient systems impact the substance and quality of reports, and can make "apples to apples" comparisons of agency operations opaque. A Blockchain may provide a continuous, immutable record of Federal activities that provide real-time and continuously auditable transactions

Measurable Metrics

• Reduce agency reports
• Increase availability of agency information
• Encourage adoption of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to enhance and augment ledge reporting

[bsweger]

Great to see agency data reporting burden addressed here. One of the best things we can do to encourage open, valid, and complete data is to make it easier for agencies to share open, valid, and complete data.

However, specific technologies/approaches (e.g., blockchain) shouldn't be prescribed in the National Action Plan. Sticking to a description of the problem and the desired outcome gives the folks responsible for implementation the latitude to fully understand the problem and work with all parties to find the best solution.

[JoshData]

I'm with @bsweger. If there's one thing civic technology practitioners have learned over the last several years it's that a technology-first attitude is likely to lead to wasting time and money, alienating important allies, reinforcing existing (and usually unwanted) power structures, and harming the very people and processes that one is claiming to want to help. Presupposing that a particular technology will be a solution to a problem without first learning about the problem and talking to the people who experience it violates best practices in engineering if not also the basic premise of doing public interest work.