Today, with the constant stream of communications from so many sources, we are going into information overload. Nowhere is the information overload more evident than in government, where data from our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the military, all the federal agencies and every news source on the planet stream into the White House 24/7/365. If all that data is carefully analyzed, checked for accuracy and then properly acted upon, mistakes can be avoided. This year with the transition involving an unprecedented amount of information and requiring fast, effective communication, the team must make the most of modern social technology to shape, coordinate, and run the transition process. President-elect Obama has a significant amount of tasks to complete before taking office. He will have to fill 4,000 political positions, over 1,100 of which will require Senate confirmation; research current Executive Orders; review campaign promises to form a policy agenda; and prepare an annual federal budget to present to Congress in early February.

For the past two years, the Bush administration has been preparing for the peaceful transition of power. In the executive branch agencies, team members have three main jobs: analyzing the overall organization and function of parts of the executive branch, reassessing key senior personnel positions and responsibilities, and looking at pressing and long-term issues in specific subject-matter areas. The incoming Obama administration has created a technical working group, which is organized into four sub-teams: (1) Innovation and Government, (2) Innovation and National Priorities, (3) Innovation and Science, and (4) Innovation and Civil Society. Hear how the CIO community is preparing for the largest transition of government to a new administration.

Come join us on December 18th for a lively discussion.