Reflections on our IdeaJam – Disrupting Government Acquisition with Micro Consulting

Teams voted on their favorite ideas and turned to the next jam. There were three options: Draft a mock Request for Proposal (RFP), write the structure for a proposal, or be creative and do something completely different by constructing a creative prototype. The teams decided to go with crafting proposals for the government (Full disclosure, we did have Legos, markers, and pipe cleaners). Stakes were high – our panel of Government judges were ready to award the vaunted “Best in Show” certificate (and some other fun items) to the team with the best idea.

Each team presented their idea to the full group. In an unexpected turn of events, every team had an idea related to providing an acquisition micro consulting to the government! Teams highlighted the need to help the government navigate this new and rapidly expanding field.

As the dust settled, Animal took home the Best in Show award for their idea to create a “Meta Micro” project to help an agency establish a framework for when and how to consider a micro project.

Afterwards, our participants had an opportunity to socialize and continue the discussion about micro projects while enjoying some hard-earned beverages. The future of micro projects is bright, and we can’t wait to see what is next over the horizon.

Have an idea about how to inspire micro consulting in your agency or company? Drop us a line at silab@arcaspicio.com. And, if you like to #innovatetheGov, don’t miss our next IdeaJam.

About Arc Aspicio
Arc Aspicio is a management, strategy, and technology consulting firm that takes a mission-oriented approach to complex client challenges. Focused on innovation, Arc Aspicio provides services in strategy, design, human capital, operations, analytics and visualization, technology, and information sharing. The company is known for a strong, collaborative culture that values gratitude, provides leadership opportunities, and explores the future. Our teams use a human-centered approach to working with clients and are flexible and responsive within dynamic Government client environments that often have new priorities and evolving missions. We thrive on these situations and promote continuous improvement and new ideas. And, #welovedogs! Follow us on Twitter @arcaspicio or learn more at www.arcaspicio.com.

Team ‘Animal’ Took Home Best in Show with Meta Micro

To disrupt Government Acquisition, Arc Aspicio’s Strategy Innovation Lab (SILab) partnered with Skylight Digital to host an IdeaJam on micro consulting. You have questions: What on earth is an IdeaJam? What are Micro Projects? Why are we disrupting anything? We have answers.

Micro consulting projects are well-defined, short-burst consulting engagements aimed at solving specific Government problems. Government agencies and programs can purchase micro-consulting engagements using a purchase card for under $10,000. An IdeaJam is a fun, interactive workshop that focuses on small teams collaborating and working out loud. So why think about it now? The government recently raised the threshold to $10,000, opening up the door to a new realm of possibilities. We brought in some innovative thinkers across government and industry to talk about the future and come up with new ways the government can use micro projects.

After a brief chat on micro projects, our teams began their group jams (activities) by choosing a team name. My personal favorite was “Animal” - Muppets anyone? The teams jumped right in by attacking the question: “What are some of the problems or areas of government micro projects should target?” It turns out there are a lot of different areas that could benefit from micro projects! Teams identified data visualization, all kinds of IT projects and components, disaster communications, focus groups for law enforcement and other government agencies, human capital, and policy organizations as areas ripe for micro projects. The more teams discussed, the more it became clear that the possibilities are endless!