Attachment_1_-_Draft_PWS_0002.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

ACF Tech

PWS for an Enterprise Generative Artificial Intelligence

(GenAI) Platform

Table of Contents

1.0 General

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Objective

1.3 Scope of Work

1.4 Background

1.5 Type of Contract Contemplated

1.6 Period of Performance

1.7 Place of Performance

1.8 Recognized Holidays

1.9 Government Hours of Operation

1.10 Key Personnel

1.11 Applicable Documents

2.0 Specific Requirements/Tasks

2.1 Task 1 – Task Order Management

2.2 Task 2 – Enterprise GenAI Platform Deployment

2.3 Task 3 – Enterprise GenAI Platform User Learning Support

3.0 Contractor Quality Assurance

4.0 Delivery or Deliverables

5.0 Meetings

6.0 Special Instructions

7.0 Government Furnished Property/Equipment/Information

8.0 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

9.0 Appendix 1: ACF Tech – Key Behaviors

9.1 An Ability to Lead

9.2 An Obsession with Customer Service

9.3 The Ability to Think Holistically

PWS - Enterprise Generative genAI Platform

1.0 General

1.1 Introduction

ACF Tech’s mission is to deliver reliable, purposeful, and secure innovation, technology, and data to advance the ACF mission. Our vision is to empower ACF to reach more people – more efficiently, effectively, and audaciously – through technology, data, and innovation.

ACF Tech supports ACF’s mission through the responsive execution and efficient governance of all computer and information resource management functions within the agency. ACF Tech also advises the ACF Assistant Secretary and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration on IT resources and management necessary to support the IT infrastructure for the 2,200 ACF employees and hundreds of support contractors across 60 ACF programs. ACF is headquartered in the Mary Switzer Building in Washington, D.C., supporting teams at headquarters and the 10 regional offices located throughout the country.

ACF Tech expects all contributors to our mission to exhibit certain behaviors. These behaviors are outlined in an Appendix A.

1.2 Objective

To support the productivity and efficiency of ACF’s entire workforce, ACF Tech is establishing an enterprise genAI platform. This platform is intended to handle ACF’s common genAI needs through a simple no-code user interface, while enabling custom code development to support more advanced workflows and use cases. Common use cases include drafting and summarizing documents in plain language, conducting desk research, extracting key data points from unstructured information, answering frequently asked questions, and writing robust software and data analysis code. More advanced workflows involve multiple steps that may require reasoning capabilities, agentic actions, and human-in-the-loop oversight mechanisms.

1.3 Scope of Work

Deploy an enterprise genAI platform to scale for approximately 3,000 users. Provide user training and technical assistance to drive responsible adoption of the genAI platform that results in measurable productivity gains and work product quality improvements.

1.4 Background

Over the last year, ACF has assessed, authorized, and piloted several genAI platforms with 50-100 employees. Based on positive results from these pilots, we now seek to deploy an enterprise genAI platform at scale, with a robust user support program to equip our workforce with the skills to effectively leverage genAI to increase efficiency and work product quality.

2.0 Specific Requirements/Tasks

2.1 Task 1 – Task Order Management

The Contractor shall be responsible for the timely, efficient, and cost-effective management and administration of all tasks performed in this PWS. Additionally, the Contractor shall oversee all contracted personnel and subcontracted resources used in the performance of this work and be responsible for appropriate program controls and management for this effort. In this role, the Contractor will specifically perform the tasks listed below:

Manage the Contractor’s personnel and staffing, ensuring that work is distributed effectively across the contractor team with respect to workload, skillsets, and program priorities.

o Deliver work in alignment with ACF Tech key behaviors, detailed in Appendix 1.

o Maintain stability in staffing to the extent possible given current labor environments; ensure that turnover of staff is managed with minimal impact to operations.

o Provide status reporting on the program in a format and level of granularity agreed upon with the Government, including at a minimum for Weekly Status Reports (WSRs) and monthly Contract Status Reports (CSRs).

o Proactively engage with government resources regarding issues with program performance as well as opportunities to improve overall effectiveness.

o Ensure fulfillment of all contractual requirements.

o Transfer all documentation, solution components, and other related artifacts to the

Government upon completion of each task as well as at the end of the contract term; Prepare a transition-out plan that includes, but is not limited to, information about configurations and system and technical requirements.

2.2 Task 2 – Enterprise GenAI Platform Deployment

2.2.1 Initial Implementation

The Contractor shall implement a genAI platform that meets all the following requirements:

1. Readily deployable: the genAI platform must be deployable within three months from award with a minimum feature set that includes:

a. Chatbot interface that allows users to engage with genAI models with no code. Users must be able to see their history of chats and rename chats from auto-generated chat names.

b. Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) capabilities that allows users to include the following types of data in prompts: manually uploaded files including Microsoft office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), PDFs, image files, .txt files, and .csv files; web pages through specified URLs and optionally their sub-pages. Data sources should be organizable so that user-curated collections of data sources can be used for multiple purposes.

c. Copilots, i.e. specialized virtual assistants that have stored context and established personas and prompts. Users should be able to create copilots without code, test and evaluate their responses, and deploy in a variety of environments including the web interface and integrated systems. Users should also be able to provide feedback to copilots, which should then adapt its responses and actions iteratively based on that feedback.

d. Bulk analysis capabilities that allow users to extract information into a structured format from a collection of documents or spreadsheet. Users should be able to conduct bulk analyses without code.

2. Model agnostic: the genAI platform must allow users to select between different generative AI models provided by multiple developers (e.g. self-housed open-source models and commercially-available models via API).

At minimum, multiple large language models must be configurable.

Optionally, image and audio generation models should be configurable.

3. Meets government cybersecurity and privacy standards: the genAI platform must meet cybersecurity and privacy standards applicable to systems handling personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) at a moderate risk level. Software-as-a-service platforms must be authorized by FedRAMP or ATO certification.

Alternatively, the platform must support deployment in a government-owned Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment to maintain control over sensitive data. Compliance measures must be clearly documented, including encryption, access controls, and auditing tools, to aid government agencies in meeting mandated security and privacy requirements.

4. Meets government web content accessibility standards: the genAI platform must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA requirements so that it is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

5. User Friendly: the genAI platform must be designed with a user-friendly interface that prioritizes simplicity and intuitive navigation for system administrators and users of all skill levels. It should include clear instructions, accessible tutorials, and contextual guidance to ensure users can easily understand and utilize its features. The platform should minimize technical jargon and provide seamless workflows and customization options, enabling users to achieve their desired outputs with minimal effort. Additionally, responsive customer support and robust error handling mechanisms should be integrated to enhance user confidence and satisfaction.

6. Data Integrations: the genAI platform must be able to directly integrate with multiple data sources including: Box.com, Confluence Datacenter, Drupal, Jira, Microsoft SharePoint 2016 On-Premise, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zendesk. The genAI platform must honor all access permissions set in the data source. The genAI platform must also regularly refresh integrated data so that users have the most up-to-date information.

7. Agentic Capabilities: the genAI platform must allow users to equip copilots (described in requirement 1a) with actions the copilots can take autonomously on behalf of the user. These actions should be configurable, allowing users to tailor the range of operational tasks copilots can perform based on their specific needs and use cases. Agentic capabilities should include but are not limited to: calling other copilots; accessing and using API services; and executing automated workflows.

8. API: in addition to providing a no-code user interface for ease of use, the genAI platform should offer well-documented APIs that allow developers to access and interact with all platform features programmatically. These APIs should support full functionality, enabling users to integrate the platform with external systems, automate processes, and customize workflows. Comprehensive documentation should include clear examples, usage guidelines, and best practices to support developers of all skill levels. The APIs should be designed with scalability, security, and reliability in mind, ensuring seamless integration and robust performance under varying workloads.

9. Scalable System Governance and Administration: the genAI platform must be readily deployable with built-in governance capabilities including:

a. Multi-factor user authentication through single sign-on via Okta.

b. Redaction policies that allow user and system prompts to be scrubbed for specified types of information (e.g. phone numbers) or key phrases.

c. Audit logs that allow the genAI platform administrators to see the history of all prompts and responses by user, copilot, model, timestamp, and API key. The audit logs should also provide visibility into cost and performance metrics (e.g. completion time) for each interaction. Audit logs should be exportable in CSV format and accessible via API.

d. Cost management tools that allow the genAI platform administrators to set maximum cost thresholds at multiple granularities.

10. Cost Effective: the genAI platform should average to no more than $20/user/month, inclusive of the continuously developed platform software, cloud hosting costs, and genAI model costs.

2.2.2 Assessment and Authorization

The Contractor shall ensure the genAI platform complies with federal requirements for security, privacy, and operational effectiveness, allowing the system to obtain an Authority to Operate (ATO). Actions include collaborating with security, privacy, operations, governance, records management, and other relevant teams to assess the platform against relevant federal laws and frameworks, including the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and NIST 800-53 standards. This task involves conducting risk assessments, vulnerability scans, and penetration testing to identify and resolve weaknesses. The team must create detailed documentation of policies, procedures, and security measures to demonstrate compliance. The Contractor shall regularly communicate and coordinate with relevant parties to help address any concerns or findings during the assessment phase, ensuring a seamless path to authorization.

2.2.3 Data Integrations

The Contractor shall connect the platform with all required external data sources as outlined in Section 2.2.1 #5. The process entails analyzing the technical specifications of each data source to determine the integration approach, such as APIs, custom connectors, or batch processing. The Contractor shall develop and test these integrations to ensure the data flows are seamless, secure, and in compliance with applicable standards.

The Contractor shall closely collaborate with partner systems, technical teams, and stakeholders to resolve any compatibility challenges. The Contractor shall provide robust documentation and monitoring systems to ensure data integrity post-deployment.

2.2.4 Functionality Development

The Contractor shall continuously design, develop, test, and ship new functionality into the genAI platform by delivering features that meet user needs and align with government priorities. The Contractor shall gather and analyze user feedback through multiple channels such as surveys, usage analytics, and direct interaction to identify pain points and needed improvements. The Contractor shall discuss prioritization of features with the government technical manager (GTM) to ensure alignment with strategic goals. The Contractor shall provide documentation, training materials, and release notes to inform end-users about new features and functionality.

2.2.5 Bug Fixes and Technical Troubleshooting

The Contractor shall ensure the platform operates reliably and issues are resolved in a timely manner per an agreed-upon Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Government. The Contractor shall set up a mechanism for identifying, tracking, and categorizing bugs reported by users or detected through monitoring systems. The Contractor shall triage bugs and prioritize issues based on severity and impact on platform functionality or user experience. The Contractor shall resolve bugs efficiently, performing rigorous testing to validate fixes before deployment. If issues require deeper troubleshooting, the Contractor shall conduct forensic analysis to identify root causes and implement permanent solutions.

2.3 Task 3 – Enterprise GenAI Platform User Learning Support

2.3.1 Live Trainings

The contractor will design and deliver regular interactive live (via teleconference) training sessions to advance user adoption of the genAI platform. These sessions will include structured curriculum tailored to the audience's needs, helping users understand: when genAI is helpful and when it is not the best tool to meet a particular need; the platform’s functionalities; and how to use the platform responsibly. The trainings should cover both foundational skills and specialized applications that are relevant to ACF’s work to ensure participants can fully leverage generative AI in their workflows. The live format should provide opportunities for real-time engagement, Q&A, and collaborative problem solving, making learning accessible and impactful. Stakeholder feedback will be integrated into subsequent sessions to align with evolving organizational and user-specific needs. These trainings will foster confidence and proficiency in using generative AI effectively.

2.3.2 Scalable On-Demand Learning Resources

The Contractor will create scalable, self-paced learning resources to support ongoing user education for the genAI platform. Resources should include comprehensive user guides, video tutorials, FAQs, and best practice documentation that address varying levels of expertise. The Contractor materials will be designed to be easily understandable and Section 508 compliant, providing clear, actionable guidance on the platform functions, responsible AI usage, and advanced uses. The contractor will ensure all on-demand resources are relevant to ACF’s work and up-to-date by collaborating with technical teams to reflect the latest platform updates and features.

2.3.3 Hands-On User Support

The Contractor shall provide direct, personalized support to users through office hours, one-on-one coaching, and tailored workshops. This hands-on approach will address user-specific questions, challenges, and learning needs while fostering confidence in using the genAI platform. The Contractor shall serve as a point of contact for providing practical solutions and gathering feedback to continuously refine training and resources. By offering individualized attention, the Contractor shall help users integrate generative AI tools into their daily workflows, maximize productivity, and overcome adoption barriers. Through active engagement, the Contractor will ensure users feel supported and empowered in harnessing the platform’s full potential.

3.0 Type of Contract Contemplated

The contract type is firm fixed price (FFP).

4.0 Period of Performance

The period of performance is five (5) years.

Base Year (BY): 12-months from date of award.

Option Year 1 (OY1): 12-months Option Year 2 (OY2): 12-months Option Year 3 (OY3): 12-months Option Year 4 (OY4): 12-months

5.0 Place of Performance

Professional services shall be performed at the contractor’s facilities.

5.1 Recognized Holidays

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day Juneteenth

5.2 Government Hours of Operation

All Contractor employees performing on this contract shall be available during the Government’s required core hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday except federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government-directed facility closings.\

6.0 Key Personnel

Certain skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. These individuals are defined as “Key Personnel” and are those persons whose resumes will be submitted and marked by the vendor as “Key Personnel.” Certain skilled experienced program management and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed.

The key personnel specified in this contract are essential to work performance. At least 20 business days prior to the Contractor voluntarily diverting any of the specified individuals to other programs or contracts, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer (CO) and shall submit a justification for the diversion or replacement and a request to replace the individual. The request must identify the proposed replacement and provide an explanation of how the replacement's skills, experience, and credentials meet or exceed the requirements of the contract. The Contractor shall not divert, replace, nor remove key personnel from their role within the first 60 business days from contract award. If the employee of the Contractor is terminated for cause or separates from the Contractor voluntarily with less than 30 days’ notice or within the first 60 business days, the Contractor shall provide the maximum notice practicable under the circumstances.

The Contractor shall not divert, replace, or announce any such change to key personnel without the written consent of the COR.

The Contractor shall provide personnel with the management, technical, and subject matter expertise required to accomplish the activities and prepare the deliverables identified in this contract.

• The Contractor shall ensure the approved key personnel are, unless stated otherwise, 100 percent applied to this effort and have the appropriate certifications and years of experience for their role.

• Key personnel shall have previous experience in the same or similar role of the same size and scope of project.

• The Contractor shall retain identified key personnel on this contract, while in the employment of this Contractor, unless agreed to in writing by ACF.

• The Contractor must propose key personnel for the following required positions listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Key Personnel Positions and Requirements

Position Titles

Description Number of Years’ Experience

Primary Task Area/Role

Forward Deployed Engineer

Full-time

Responsible for delivering robust genAI platform with minimal downtime, including development of new functionalities, seamless integration of new datasets, resolution of technical issues, and proactive infrastructure optimization to ensure scalability and cost-effective performance.

Responsible for working closely with operations, cybersecurity, privacy experts, and other relevant constituencies to support continuous assessment and authorization of the genAI platform. Assist in the preparation of authority-to-operate (ATO) documentation and actively contribute to closing cybersecurity risk findings by refining platform security protocols.

Responsible for driving user adoption by partnering with them to integrate genAI capabilities into their workflows and enabling use of advanced platform features, such as API integrations and custom user interface development tailored to unique business needs. Proactively identify opportunities to expand platform capabilities to address emerging challenges and spearhead efforts to ensure users effectively leverage generative AI for solving complex problems.

Minimum of five (5) years’ experience or equivalent combination of education and training that provides for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Tasks 2 and 3

GenAI Learning Specialist

Minimum half-time, up to full-time

Responsible for advancing user adoption of the genAI platform by designing and delivering comprehensive training programs, including live sessions, on-demand learning materials, and interactive workshops. Develop a structured curriculum tailored to the needs of users, ensuring that they have the necessary understanding of how genAI works to use genAI responsibly, and the understanding necessary to effectively utilize the platform’s capabilities, ranging from basic operation to advanced features.

Responsible for providing hands-on user support through office hours, one-on-one coaching sessions, and tailored learning approaches. Serve as a point of contact for user feedback, addressing questions or challenges, and refining training materials based on evolving needs.

Foster user confidence in the platform, helping stakeholders integrate generative AI into their day-to-day workflow and maximize productivity gains.

Responsible for creating scalable learning resources, such as user guides, video tutorials, knowledge base articles, and best practice documentation. Collaborate with technical teams to stay informed of new functionalities and ensure training materials reflect the platform’s latest features and updates. Promote engagement by identifying innovative ways users can leverage generative AI to meet organizational goals.

Minimum of five (5) years’ experience or equivalent combination of education and training that provides for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Tasks 1 and 3

Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children Families

7.0 Applicable Documents

The Contractor shall adhere to all ACF, HHS, and U.S. federal policies on artificial intelligence. ACF AI policies are available on https://go.acf.gov/ai.

8.0 Contractor Quality Assurance.

Identify the performance measures the government will use to assess the contractor’s performance of the work. The use of measurable performance standards and incentives in a competitive environment encourages competitors to develop and institute innovative and cost-effective methods of performing the work.

The government may allow the contractor to propose alternative performance measures and monitoring methods. FAR 46.201(b) provides that “solicitations and contracts may provide for alternative, but substantially equivalent, inspection methods to obtain wide competition and low cost. The contracting officer may also authorize contractor-recommended alternatives when in the Government’s interest and approved by the activity responsible for technical requirements.” For commercial items, FAR 46.202-1 requires the government to rely on contractors’ existing quality assurance systems as a substitute for government inspection and testing before tender for acceptance unless customary market practices for the commercial item being acquired include in-process inspection.]

Note: The contractor’s Quality Assurance Plan is not the same as the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), which is the government’s internal plan for monitoring and measuring performance. Even when the government considers alternatives proposed by a contractor, the final decision on what goes into the QASP is the governments.

9.0 Delivery or Deliverables

Timely submission of deliverables and reports is essential to successfully completing this requirement. Schedules for deliverables are specified in the Table 4.1. All deliverables must be prepared and submitted according to media, content, and schedule described in the PWS and maintained in the location designated by the government.

https://go.acf.gov/ai https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-46#FAR_46_201 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-46#FAR_46_202_1

Task

Deliverable Delivery Frequency

Template (Government or Contractor Provided)

Due Date Approver Repository

Contract Kickoff Agenda & Presentation

One Time Contractor

5 Business Days from Date of Award

COR Designated by COR

Contract Kickoff Meeting

One Time Not Applicable

5 Business Days from Date of Award

COR Designated by COR

Draft Transition-In Plan (Feedback from COR on version submitted with proposal)

One Time Contractor

5 Business Days from Date of Award

COR Designated by COR

Final Transition-In Plan

One Time Contractor 7 Business Days from Award

COR Designated by COR

Draft Transition-Out Plan

Annually Contractor

Business Days from Option Period or Contract Period Expiration

COR Designated by COR

Final Transition-Out Plan

Annually Contractor

Business Days from Option Period or Contract Period Expiration

COR Designated by COR

Deliverable Delivery Frequency

Template (Government or Contractor Provided)

Due Date Approver Repository

Draft Task Order Management Plan (Feedback from COR on version submitted with proposal)

One Time Contractor

5 Business Days from Date of Award

COR Designated by COR

Final Task Order Management Plan

Initial & Updated as Required

Contractor 7 Business Days from Award

COR Designated by COR

Quality Control Plan (Feedback from COR on version submitted with proposal)

Initial Artifact & Updated as Required

Contractor

5 Business Days from Date of Award

COR Designated by COR

1 Weekly Status Report (WSR)

Weekly (Specific day will be designated by COR)

Government

Initial Due No Later Than 5 Business Days After Contract Kick-Off Meeting and Every Week Thereafter.

Deliverable Delivery Frequency

Template (Government or Contractor Provided)

Due Date Approver Repository

Contractor Personnel Tracker (CPT)

Weekly Government

Initial Due No Later Than 5 Business Days After Contract Kick-Off Meeting and Every Week Thereafter

COR Designated by COR

Monthly Contract Status Report (CSR)

Monthly Government

Initial Due on the 20th Calendar Day After the Completion of the First Monthly Reporting Period and Every 20th Calendar Day Thereafter.

(Reporting periods end on the last calendar day of each calendar month).

Notice to contractors:

All information and data related to this project that the contractor gathers or obtains will be both protected from unauthorized release and considered the property of the government. The contracting officer will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing any data, draft deliverables, final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract.

Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project must not be publicized without the written approval of the contracting officer.

10.0 Meetings

For all meetings, the contractor will be responsible for providing meeting materials, and administrative and facilitation support. Meetings will be conducted through teleconferencing or through an alternative method of communication, as approved by the government.

11.0 Special Instructions

N/A

12.0 Government Furnished Property/Equipment/Information

Contractors are required to furnish all property necessary to perform contracts, and government property is provided only under limited circumstances.

13.0 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

AI Artificial Intelligence API Application Programming Interface AWS Amazon Web Services CO Contract Officer COR Contract Officer’s Representative CSV Comma Separated Value FedRAMP Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program GenAI Generative Artificial Intelligence GTM Government Technical Manager NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology PHI Protected Health Information PII Personally Identifiable Information

14.0 Appendix 1: ACF Tech – Key Behaviors

14.1 An Ability to Lead

No matter the position, role, or grade, every individual at ACF Tech (federal and contract) is required to provide leadership to the execution of their duties (although, it takes different forms commensurate with grade level and position). Whether this be leading a project, advising contractors, creating a deliverable or teaching others, we all provide leadership in some form or fashion. Leadership, put simply, is about causing a future that would not otherwise have come to pass, making something new happen or changing where we are headed. At ACF Tech, our four values are collaboration, customer-focus, drive and audacity, and stewardship. To do this, we:

• Seek to incorporate innovation into improving our work, so we can do more things for more people and serve our customers better

• We meaningfully identify risk, understand risk, and we do not stifle progress because the risk is unclear. Rather, we seek to clarify, escalate with our leadership, and establish appropriate tolerances for risk, relative to the opportunity something presents to support our mission.

• We focus on goals, outcomes, and navigating towards delivery. We utilize process and governance to enhance our ability to deliver, and only after fully understanding the outcome desired.

• We understand and tolerate some level of ambiguity and subjectivity in our work.

We seek clarification where appropriate, we create options, and we are curious and do research to look for answers.

14.2 An Obsession with Customer Service

ACF Tech provides technology services to the ACF Offices and Programs. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service by anticipating and meeting the needs of both internal and external customers. We deliver high-quality products and services, are committed to continuously improving our own processes, and we enable our customers to improve the execution of their mission objective with technology. To do this, we:

• Deliver timely responses to customers, including providing proactive updates to a customer when a given task takes longer than a few business days. We cannot always control how long something takes, but we can control how we communicate with our customers.

• Look for ways to deliver our services in a more self-service manner. Customers accessing resources, tools, and services without intervention by our team can lead to higher customer satisfaction.

• Treat customers with respect and acknowledge and respect diverse perspectives and experiences. Many of our customers have different technology knowledge, and we should do our best to translate the overly complex language of technology into plain language. This includes striving to make our processes and customer experiences intuitive to the people we serve. This also means listening to our customers, understanding their goals and how they use technology and ACF Tech processes, and ultimately what’s most important to them.

• Look for solutions to problems. Refrain from leading with “No”. Customers come to ACF Tech with business problems, and we should work with them to deliver solutions. If we can’t deliver exactly what they are asking for, we should convey what the constraints are and negotiate and navigate towards a solution together.

14.3 The Ability to Think Holistically

We need folks to obsess about the end outcome, not just their piece in it.

If a person needs an IT “thing”, but we say “Well, I did my part” but don’t ensure the person has achieved what they want, we have failed. And more importantly, we have failed and wasted resources too. We need to see the system in which we work and optimize towards making the system better as a whole.

Harvard Business School Professor Theodore Levitt famously said, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!”

What is the “thing” that the person actually needs to accomplish their mission? They need a hole drilled in the wall; they don’t need the drill. The drills helps but is not the outcome that is ultimately desired. Seek and deliver on the outcomes that is actually needed to move the ball forward on the playing field. Do not accept a process step as a proxy for progress. Be hyper vigilant about ensuring you close the loop, and ensuring the end outcome occurs.