Background

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) selected Excelicon to work with the Recovery Technology Programs Division (RTPD) in support of the FEMA Recovery Mission. RTPD is part of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery (ORR) which helps citizens before, during, and after disasters, assisting communities to rebuild and return to normal life post-disaster as well as protect against future threats. Excelicon supports nine Program Management Offices (PMO) within RTPD. Excelicon supports four main initiatives within RTPD including agile implementation, web development, capital planning and investment control, and PMO support services.

Challenges

Excelicon has supported RTPD directly since 2015. During the last five years, FEMA and the RTPD team faced multiple challenges and the Excelicon team has been diligent in assisting with shifting priorities as needed by FEMA. From key personnel changes to evolving process improvement objectives, Excelicon has been adaptable and strategic in assisting the government to meet and exceed mission expectations and needs.

Solutions

Excelicon has taken a cross-functional approach in addressing FEMA’s toughest challenges. Excelicon provides solutions for achieving FEMA’s mission objectives in four key areas for IT, including: agile services, project management, capital planning, and web development. First, the team worked with FEMA to modernize their technology systems. Excelicon’s web development team built out RTPD’s SharePoint and is now working on building Microsoft Dynamics to bring the organization into the modern era and increase efficiencies of its technology systems. Excelicon’s agile implementation team has been conducting workshops for over a year and a half on agile methodologies and best practices. Excelicon’s capital planning and investment control team has streamlined investment management procedures to ensure accurate and timely reporting. Excelicon’s PMO support services team has modernized project management practices by more effectively documenting processes and procedures.

Results

FEMA has saved time and money, increased efficiencies, and has helped disaster survivors and communities get support faster directly because of Excelicon’s support. The Excelicon team has identified and filled multiple performance gaps with streamlined solutions, improved processes, and modernized systems. By creating best practices for FEMA, Excelicon has been able to better document procedures and keep FEMA leadership updated so they are more informed of the American public’s and their organization’s needs to better advocate for funding and improve outcomes. As a direct result of the Excelicon team’s support, FEMA RTPD is now further towards their modernization goals to better leverage federal staff, existing resources, and infrastructure.