How Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is Likely to Function: An Experienced IT Engineer’s Perspective
The Scholar In Residence: MIKHAIL NAZARENKO
Inefficiency in government bureaucratic structures is well known. In the United States and around the world, the public sector has been repeatedly criticized for its weaknesses in identifying and resolving pertinent issues. On the contrary, the world has seen simple tech companies formed by young, inexperienced persons grow to overtake major established corporations and public sector entities.
In line with these established facts, billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk announced a partnership with the US president-elect, Donald Trump, to create and maintain the new Department of Government Efficiency. How is this department likely to function? What are the key areas it will cover? And how will hyper-functional tech models be transposed into government?
Efficient tech companies maintain formal systems for controlling and optimizing the management process in complex social systems. This is a formalization process that defines efficiency units in four key areas:
1. Management units
2. Agents of influence,
3. Available resources and
4. Task execution processes.
These four pointers define relevant elements that contribute to efficiency, and a control architecture is instituted to steer the different units. In the process, the most critical issues of interest include:
1. Definition of efficiency metrics
2. Efficiency assessment systems
3. Transparency, and
4. Detection and control of the impact of hidden factors.
First, a mechanism for defining quantifiable and measurable efficiency metrics is instituted. This is the starting point, as it gives the control and optimization process meaning. These efficiency metrics become the starting point for where the overall government system and units are going and how they are progressing at any point in time.
Once the basic pointers are known, an objective system will be established to assess the efficiency levels at different points in time. This includes a mechanism for identifying success and failure, as well as risks along the way. This system is used to evaluate key input and output measures and ensure that the system works to attain its core goals and ends.
Transparency is key. When everyone in the governmental agency structure knows their efforts are documented for all to see, they are held to a completely different standard of measure. Things people could do and get away with in public service will now be monitored and laid out accurately for all to see. This will create intrinsic, extrinsic, and intradepartmental awareness that will boost performance and ensure taxpayer dollars are put to optimal use in the public sector.
Hidden factors are significant in government agencies and government work. These interests and power dynamics are typically swept under the carpet of diplomatic expedience pervasive in the public sector. Under this new model, the likelihood of identifying and tracking these hidden factors and interests will increase unimaginably, and this will ensure accountability is enhanced exponentially.
A Control System Architecture in this context is likely to embrace:
1. A control module,
2. An analytical module and
3. A feedback system
All of these pointers can be easily coded using an algorithm that will help gather enormous amounts of data that dwarf the current government reporting systems. Thus, government communication will be unified, and the president will have access to a lot more oversight than previously imagined possible.
Scenario forecasting will also expand significantly. This will be a balance of transparency and influence levels. Where one outweighs the other, a specific path can be chosen.
Furthermore, improvement recommendations will be a major part of process optimization. Again, this is driven by transparency and hidden factor indices that will direct government departments in the future.
Bringing it All Together
The Department of Government Efficiency will formalize and apply optimization systems used in the tech world to the management processes of the government's bureaucratic system. This will centralize the recognition and control of management units, agents of influence, resources, and task execution processes under a single algorithm-friendly system to ensure that all activities are coordinated digitally. This new digital system will be friendly to supercomputing and exponential technologies emerging in our times. It will involve new and more extensive efficiency metrics, efficiency assessment systems, and the control of hidden factors in a much more transparent manner. This new control architecture system will boost scenario planning and forecasting and take continuous improvement to a different level.
The Scholar In Residence
Mikhail Nazarenko is an experienced and accomplished IT engineer with over 15 years of experience in software development, systems architecture, and systems engineering. He has developed a versatile career path and is masterful at providing efficient, robust, and effective solutions. His skills are available to leading tech companies that appreciate high-level, world-class competency.
He can be contacted at mikhail.nazarenko@gmail.com
His professional profile is available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manazarenko/