|
18F
18F is a digital services agency within the Technology Transformation Services department of the General Services Administration (GSA) of the United States Government. 18F helps other government agencies build, buy, and share technology products. The team consists of designers, software engineers, strategists, and product managers who collaborate with other agencies to fix technical problems, build products, and improve public service through technology.[1] Overview18F is an office of federal employees within the General Services Administration (GSA) that collaborates with other agencies to improve the user experience of government services by helping them build and buy technology. The group works with government organizations to define a strategy and work towards a solution for their modernization efforts. 18F uses agile and lean methodologies, open source code, and user centered design approaches. 18F was co-founded on March 19, 2014 by former Presidential Innovation Fellows Greg Godbout, Aaron Snow, and Hillary Hartley.[2] 18F's practices and methodologies have influenced the creation of digital service teams across numerous state and local governments, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York State, and major cities like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. These teams often adopt 18F's approaches to agile development, user-centered design, and open-source practices. As of 2024, 18F consists of approximately 91 distributed employees working remotely across the United States. The organization previously peaked at over 250 employees in 2018. While staff numbers have decreased, 18F's influence has grown through alumni who continue working in government technology, with 85% of departing staff in 2023 moving to other government technology positions. Its name refers to its office location in northwest Washington, D.C., on 18th and F Streets. 18F is within Technology Transformation Services, part of the Federal Acquisition Service. Projects and Impact18F has developed several notable initiatives that have since become independent programs within the federal government. The United States Web Design System (USWDS), created in 2015 through collaboration between 18F and the U.S. Digital Service, provides a design system for federal websites. The USWDS was developed with input from multiple agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, Internal Revenue Service, and GSA. It is now maintained by GSA's Technology Transformation Services' Office of Solutions.[3] Two other major platforms initially developed by 18F have become independent programs within GSA's Technology Transformation Services: - Cloud.gov, which emerged from 18F's early need to solve cloud operations bottlenecks, offers cloud hosting services for federal agencies. Initially prototyped by 18F, it has evolved into an independent service that helps government agencies deliver digital services efficiently while meeting security and compliance requirements.[4] - Login.gov, which launched in 2017 as a shared service, provides secure access to participating government websites. Originally incubated as an 18F project in 2016, it was developed in partnership with the United States Digital Service and now operates independently within TTS.[5] Legacy and Influence18F's impact on government technology extends beyond its direct projects. By 2024, its practices and methodologies had influenced the creation of digital service teams across numerous state and local governments, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York State, and major cities like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco.[6] The organization has helped transform how government approaches technology procurement and development. Along with the United States Digital Service, 18F has been part of a broader movement to modernize government technology and improve the public's experience with federal services.[7] Key aspects of this transformation include: - Promoting open source development in government - Introducing user-centered design practices - Establishing agile development methodologies - Creating models for bringing technology talent into government service 18F's influence continues through its alumni network, with 85% of departing staff in 2023 moving to other government technology positions, spreading modern technology practices throughout government.[8] HistoryIn March 2014, a group of Presidential Innovation Fellows started 18F to extend their efforts to improve and modernize government technology. The United Kingdom had created a similar agency in April 2011, Government Digital Service, following their own healthcare IT issues,[9] which saves an estimated $20 million a year over previous methods. 18F runs on a cost recovery model where client agencies reimburse the digital agency for its work. 18F's creation was announced by GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini on March 19, 2014 with a mission to simplify the government's digital services. The agency started with 15 employees, including 11 former Presidential Innovation Fellows from both the private and public sectors. Over its first decade, 18F has worked on several hundred partner projects including enhancing access to national forests, publishing critical data about waterways, improving federal website accessibility, streamlining federal election contributions browsing, creating new case management systems for the judicial branch, and simplifying Medicare fund applications for states.[10] Major initiatives have included analytics.usa.gov, launched in March 2015,[11] the United States Web Design System which standardizes federal website design, and cloud.gov which simplifies cloud adoption for government agencies. All of 18F's projects are open source, meaning anyone can review and suggest updates to the code.[12]
See also
References
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "FNR: new" is not used in the content (see the help page). External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
