Strategy Markup Language (StratML) Owen Ambur, Co-Chair AIIM StratML Committee September 30, 2009

 StratML Definition, Focus & Intent  Related eGov Initiatives  StratML Tools & Prototype Services  Part 2, Performance Plans & Reports

Definition, Focus & Intent Strategy Markup Language (StratML) ~ an XML vocabulary and schema for strategic plans Initial Focus ~ the strategic plans that U.S. federal agencies are required to compile and maintain under the Government Performance & Results Act (GPRA)GPRA Intent ~ establish an international voluntary consensus standard (AIIM/ANSI/ISO) for potential use by all organizations worldwide

Content & Status of Part 1, Strategic Plan Core Core Elements 1.Organization 2.Mission 3.Vision 4.Value 5.Goal 6.Objective 7.Stakeholder ANSI/AIIM Standard  Announcement  Cross-promotion/marketing Prototypes  Tools & services  >500 StratML documents

 eGov Initiatives  President Obama’s Directive  Open Gov Brainstorming  Data.gov  eGov Act  E-FOIA  OMB Circular A-119  W3C eGov IG Open Gov Data Working Draft

Transparency/Open Government

Transparency  What is government doing?  Goals & objectives  In what form can the public readily find & use information?  HTML, XML, StratML with style sheets, applications & intermediary services  E-FOIA amendments  Data.gov  How can the public provide feedback?  StratML applications/services  More mature, social networking focused on stakeholders, goals & objectives

Participation  Public engagement ~ StratML applications  Effectiveness ~ Measurable results, reported to stakeholders  Input to improve public participation ~ To what end?  More efficient/effective pursuit of.gov goals & objectives

Collaboration  What is the “work of government”?  Missions, goals & objectives  Innovative tools, methods & systems to cooperate ~ on What?  Goals & objectives  How better to solicit public feedback?  Mature social networking services by applying StratML

Open Gov Brainstorming Wrap-Up, Beth Noveck

Open Gov – 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Tax-Exempt Status

Open Gov Dialogue – Erick Gonzalez, Oracle

Data.gov  Access to “high-value” datasets ~ Aligned with strategic goals/objectives  Machine readable ~ CSV & XML (e.g., StratML)  Catalog ~ by Stakeholder groups, goals & objectives

eGov Act  StratML will enable agencies to comply with the provisions of subsections 202(b)(4) & (5) and 207(d) of the eGov Act, which respectively require agencies to:202(b)(4) & (5)207(d)  Work together to link their performance goals to key groups, including citizens, businesses, and other governments, as well as internal Federal Government operations; and  Adopt open standards (e.g., StratML) enabling the organization and categorization of Government information in a way that is searchable electronically and interoperably across agencies. “Key groups” = Stakeholders StratML = Open standard enabling queries interoperably across agencies

E-FOIA Amendments  … an agency shall provide [records] in any form or format requested … if the record is readily reproducible by the agency in that form or format.  Each agency shall make reasonable efforts to maintain its records in forms or formats that are reproducible … 5 USC 552(a)(3)(B) XML (StratML) is machine readable and readily reproducible The StratML collection already includes the plans ofStratML collection  All of the cabinet-level agencies (but not the bureaus)  Most of the smaller agencies (Small Agency Council members)Small Agency Council

OMB Circular A-119A What Is The Policy For Federal Use Of Standards? All federal agencies must use voluntary consensus standards in lieu of government- unique standards … except where inconsistent with law or otherwise impractical. 7. What Is The Policy For Participation In Voluntary Consensus Standards Bodies? Agencies must consult with voluntary consensus standards bodies … and must participate with such bodies in the development of voluntary consensus standards when consultation and participation is in the public interest and is compatible with their missions, authorities, priorities, and budget resources StratML ~ Is a voluntary consensus standard Can be used to document/share agency missions & goals/objectives (priorities) Is not government-unique StratML tools/services can make it very practical to use Participation in standards development bodies should support agency objectives (as documented in StratML format)

Open Gov Data – W3C eGov IG

Open Gov – CTO 2.0 Conference Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer  … there must be a structured approach to open government, including a schedule for the public release of government data in machine-readable formats.  … government agencies should engage the public in developing open government plans and publish their completed plans. Information Week, September 9, 2009Information Week ___________________________________________________________________________ StratML is a structured approach for releasing the data contained in strategic and performance plans in machine-readable format. Eventually, more mature social networking technologies and services should facilitate engagement and feedback from stakeholders  On the plans of organizations whose missions, goals, and objectives are of interest to them.

StratML Tools & Service Prototypes  Documentation & Transformation Services – Drybridge Technologies  CAM Interactive Documentation – David Webber  Authoring/Editing Tools  Adobe, Xopus, Business Web Software, XML, Syntext & IC Tect  Tag Cloud – Strategi Consulting, Ari Knausenberger  Atom Demonstration – Joe Carmel  Basic Stylesheet – Crane Softwrights, Ken Holman  Farsi Translations & StratML Transformation Portal – Pooyan Zamanian  Search Service – Mark Logic, Shashi Mudunuri  Schema Design – Vision4Standards, Sylvia Webb

Schema Documentation – Drybridge TechnologiesDocumentation

TransformationTransformation to Standard – Drybridge

Drybridge Technologies

CAM Interactive Documentation – David Webber

StratML Forms  Thus far, during the development, piloting, proof-of-concept phase, more than 500 strategic plans have been rendered in StratML format, using (thus far) five different authoring/conversion tools, including:  Microsoft InfoPath using this formInfoPathform  Business Web Software AchieveForms Business Web SoftwareAchieveForms  Adobe PDF Fillable Form (Rights extended to December 31, 2010.)Form  Xopus Form (As of June 10, 2009, now available in Spanish as well as English) XopusForm  Microsoft Word, with assistance from IC TectIC Tect

MS InfoPath

AchieveForms - Business Web Software (Firmstep)

Adobe PDF Fillable – Ed Chase

XopusXopus – Laurens van den Oever

Change.gov Plan – Raw (Plain Text) XML

Altova Authentic – XML Authentic

StratML Search Service – XML

XML XML, Keith Matthew

SernaSerna – Syntext, Timofey Furyaev & Daria Chernova

Syntext

MS Word – IC Tect, Pradeep JainIC Tect  StratML Quick Start Guide for MS Word Users

Tag Cloud - Strategi Consulting, Ari KnausenbergerStrategi Consulting

Atom Demo – Joe Carmel

Basic Style Sheet – Crane Softwrights, Ken HolmanCrane Softwrights

StratML in Farsi – Pooyan Zamanian See alternate terms in StratML GlossaryGlossary

StratML Transformation Portal – Pooyan Zamanian

Quick Search - Mark Logic, Shashi Mudunuri

Advanced Search – Mark Logic

Schema Design – Vision4Standards, Sylvia WebbVision4Standards

Part 2, Performance Plans & Reports  Candidate Elements  Simplified Graphics  More Detailed Graphics

Part 2, Performance Plan Candidate Elements 1)StakeholderStakeholder At least one Stakeholder of the performer type must be identified, although the named performer may be an organizational role rather than a particular individual. 2)MetricMetric At least one Objective must be included and a Metric should be associated with it. 3)OutcomeOutcome At least one desired Outcome should be specified, because no organization should exist solely for self-serving purposes. 4)OutputOutput The Outputs required to achieve the desired Outcome(s) should be specified. 5)InputInput The Inputs required to produce Outputs should be specified. 6)ProcessProcess The Processes required to produce Outputs and Outcomes should be specified.

Part 2, Simplified Graphic Performance Plans & Reports: The Value Chain InputsProcessesOutputsProcessesOutcomes

Inputs, Processes, Outputs & Outcomes ProcessNameDescriptionMetrics Unit of Measurement Number of Units Measurement Frequency InputNameDescriptionMetrics Unit of Measurement Number of Units Measurement Frequency OutputNameDescriptionMetrics Unit of Measurement Number of Units Measurement Frequency OutcomeNameDescriptionMetrics Unit of Measurement Number of Units Measurement Frequency

Metrics Unit of Measurement Unit Type Number of Units Number Type Measurement Frequency Time Unit Type Number of Units

How You Can Help  Some Suggestions  Intended Purposes / Needed Applications

How You Can Help  Foster awareness of the StratML standard  Help specify Parts 2 & 3  Encourage organizations to maintain their plans in StratML  Convert some plans yourself  Encourage social networking sites to use StratML  Develop StratML applications and services

Intended Purposes/Needed Applications/Services  Facilitate the sharing, referencing, indexing, discovery, linking, reuse, and analyses of the elements of strategic plans, including goal and objective statements as well as the names and descriptions of stakeholder groups and any other content commonly included in strategic plans.  Enable the concept of "strategic alignment" to be realized in literal linkages among goal and objective statements and all other records created by organizations in the routine course of their business processes.  Facilitate the discovery of potential performance partners who share common goals and objectives and/or either produce inputs needed or require outputs produced by the organization compiling the strategic plan.  Facilitate stakeholder feedback on strategic goals and objectives.

Purposes/Applications/Services (continued)  Facilitate updating and maintenance of discrete elements of strategic plans without requiring review and approval of the entire plan through bureaucratic channels, thereby helping to make the strategic planning process more agile and responsive to stakeholder feedback and changing circumstances, thus helping to overcome the tendency of strategic plans to become outdated "shelfware".  Reduce the needless time, effort, inconsistencies, and delays associated with maintaining data redundantly in myriad "stovepipe" systems rather than referencing the authoritative sources.  Enable agencies to comply with the provisions of subsections 202(b)(4) & (5) and 207(d) of the eGov Act, which respectively require agencies to:202(b)(4) & (5)207(d)  Work together to link their performance goals to key groups, including citizens, businesses, and other governments, as well as internal Federal Government operations; and  Adopt open standards (e.g., StratML) enabling the organization and categorization of Government information in a way that is searchable electronically and interoperably across agencies.

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