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WBD’s Top 10 ‘Better Decisions’ of 2020
January 7, 2021
Few will remember 2020 as a year of great success. It was a hard year, no doubt. But at WBD, our team will look back on 2020 as transcendent — the year we firmly established ourselves as an exceptional global consultancy as we helped our clients make better decisions in uncertain times.
In early March, we swiftly adapted to a full-time telework environment while still providing the same outstanding service to our clients at the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among others. Our goal was to go beyond mere survival mode; rather, we worked with our clients to develop and implement sustainable processes, innovative tools, and new services to help them manage their changing world.
If our mission at WBD is to lead our clients to make better decisions, then 2020 was the year we proved just how we do it. Below are our Top 10 Better Decisions of the year that demonstrate WBD’s capabilities and achievements:
One of our DoD clients, the Defense Information System Agency (DISA), operates and defends the Department’s key cyber terrain and provides information technology services to Pentagon and National Capital Region customers, WBD pioneered innovations, streamlined policies and procedures, and delivered cost savings to the American taxpayers with these actions:
10. Helped our DoD customer keep the nation safe with instant access to vital information
The WBD team developed a financial model to define all costs in a DISA unit by collating 150,000 data points across 15 data sets, integrating services, technology, contracts, customers, and locations across several funding types — representing an expansive Federal budget using industry standards and best practices.
9. Ensured the right amount of money, resources, and focus made the most impact
WBD developed a strategic roadmap to manage detailed technical, project, and financial data in a collaborative and transparent manner for its DoD client as part of a broader management operating system developed and implemented by WBD. This critical system concentrates on opportunities that represent the most impact with the right risk profile to achieve the organization’s commitment to war fighters and taxpayers.
8. Strengthened our DoD client’s ability to obtain high-value technology
WBD knows that acquisitions are a core competency for most government organizations; it requires consistent, committed, and sustained outreach to build relationships and skills in a manner that supports the organization’s strategic interests. To support its customer at DISA, WBD designed and established an Acquisitions Center of Excellence.
For our client at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), WBD built sustainable financial and communication processes designed to enhance operational performance and keep Americans safe during national emergencies. These include:
7. Established and implemented a FEMA Information Technology Strategic Communications Plan
The WBD team developed the FEMA IT Strategic Communications Plan for FY20-24 to establish technology goals and objectives that align to mission needs. By meeting with each division, WBD identified clear areas of growth, including fostering a strong cyber security network, enhancing the collaboration across the Agency, and simplifying processes to catalyze innovation.
6. Identified gaps in the FEMA Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) program
The WBD team analyzed the current FEMA financial planning and investment program and outlined key discrepancies in investments’ funding and staffing levels. By organizing investments by Technology Business Management (TBM) categories, we established a common taxonomy as well as identified scope overlaps and potential areas of consolidation.
5. Created FEMA IT Products and Services Catalog to assist FEMA customers before, during, and after disasters
Our team worked with stakeholders across the Agency to identify the common IT products and services used by FEMA customers. By creating a standardized online ordering form and process, customers have a clear and consistent way of getting the services they need in a timely fashion.
For our client at USAID in charge with implementing the USAID Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Policy across the Agency, WBD worked with its partners to develop and implement a more strategic engagement with the private sector to address the world’s most challenging development problems. To help achieve institutional change at USAID, WBD:
4. Created a system to track and monitor progress toward the Agency’s priority goal
Our team at WBD is helping USAID to leverage the private sector’s expertise, resources, and investment as a vehicle for delivering sustainable development solutions. Throughout 2020, WBD spearheaded efforts to identify, organize, and report out accurate data to track and monitor USAID’s progress toward the Private Sector Engagement Agency Priority Goal (APG) for the quarterly report to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.
3. Equipped USAID staff with the critical skills they need to partner with the private sector
The capacity building and subject matter experts at WBD collaborated with their counterparts at USAID to develop a comprehensive Private Sector Engagement Competencies Catalog to serve as the foundation of private sector engagement trainings and curricula development. These skills will help USAID staff develop and deploy market solutions to address development and humanitarian challenges more sustainably and at scale.
2. Provided a critical and comprehensive analysis to help the Agency implement its private sector engagement plan
WBD analyzed private sector engagement action plans representing over one hundred USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Offices and provided leadership at USAID with detailed summaries of each plan, key takeaways, existing gaps, and conclusions. The final 2020 Action Plans Analysis support USAID’s monitoring and prioritization of its private sector engagement initiatives across the Agency.
1. The NUMBER ONE Best WBD Decision of 2020 was to first and foremost provide for the health and safety of its employees — the firm’s most valuable assets — during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They in turn have continued to support the American people through their work with WBD’s clients. WBD established new procedures, such as flexible working hours to help employees adapt to the challenges of teleworking during a pandemic, as well as assistance in the event employees become ill with the coronavirus. And an employee-led committee organized to assist the local community, donating food, blood, cash, or providing other services.
“In a time of crisis, the lines between the personal, the corporate, and the government begin to blur,” said Scott Caldwell, President of WBD. “Out of the chaos of 2020, WBD emerged stronger and better-equipped to meet all future challenges.”