If you’ve worked inside–or alongside–the federal government, you know this is a long time coming.
The launch of the United States Tech Force is a much-needed move to elevate technical talent across government. It centers the people doing the work—not just those making the plans—and comes with backing from senior leaders and a growing coalition of partners across agencies and industry.
It’s a promising step. But it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Real success takes alignment across people, process, and technology—and a clear focus on the right goal: shipping outcomes.
Here’s what it’ll take to turn talent into impact.
What Sets the U.S. Tech Force Apart
Government has brought in technologists before, but Tech Force feels different. It reflects a growing recognition that digital progress depends not just on tools but on the teams behind them.
What stands out:
- A direct focus on recruiting engineers and data experts
- Broad support from across government, not just one office
- A commitment to public service that values experience from both inside and outside government
Hiring matters here, but the environment, tools, and structure around the work matter just as much.
Why Talent Alone Isn’t Enough
Great hires won’t be enough to see this effort realized unless they’re part of a balanced team, backed by the right structure and leadership. We’ve seen talented people walk into well-meaning programs and still end up stuck. Not because they lacked skills, but because the system tied their hands.
A broken acquisition system, outdated processes, endless approvals, unclear goals, and no real path to production slowed them down. The truth is, they didn’t fail. The system did.
To avoid that in Tech Force, agencies will need to do more than welcome a new talent pool. They’ll need to be intentional about how they train and equip engineers, about the environment they build around them, and about how they measure success.
That starts with creating a working path to production. Teams need to prove they can ship one line of code from a developer’s keyboard to a real user in a real environment. Without that, nothing else matters.
Getting this right means focusing on what helps teams deliver:
- Start with continuous delivery
The best way to learn what works is to ship working software to production. Engineers (and the teams they join) need the ability to ship code early and often, instead of waiting for quarterly deployments or multi-month reviews. That means standing up real environments, automating delivery pipelines, and securing continuous Authority to Operate (cATO).
Without those foundations, learning slows and progress stalls before anything reaches users.
- Equip balanced teams
Bringing in talented engineers is a strong first move, but they can’t do the work alone. Digital delivery depends on balanced teams that include product management, design, and engineering working together to solve problems from every angle. These teams need the right tools, a supportive environment, and leadership that clears the path for continuous delivery and user impact.
Without that foundation, even the best people get pulled into the system instead of changing it. Progress turns into process. Talent turns into turnover.
- Reward outcomes over outputs
Many GovTech programs still measure success by meaningless metrics like empty activities or new features that don't move the needle. But these things only matters if they lead to real changes in behavior.
Outcomes are what matter. They’re measurable changes in user or system behavior that drive mission results. Teams should be recognized for shipping usable software, learning quickly in production, and driving real change for users. Leaders who create the conditions for that kind of progress deserve to be supported and elevated across government.
- Put teams close to the mission
The best results come when builders are close to the work itself. That means embedding technologists with operators and end users, not isolating them in IT silos or policy groups.
This approach is not about proximity for its own sake, but about giving teams the insight and context they need to do meaningful work in real time.
What Success Could Look Like
If this new effort delivers, we’ll see more than improved systems for government agencies. We’ll see a fundamental change in how the entire government approaches digital work.
Here’s what that could include:
- Teams shipping real outcomes in secure, compliant environments
- Tighter feedback loops between policy and implementation
- Faster cycles from idea to delivery
- A culture where great people choose to stay and grow
All of this is possible. We’ve seen it happen. But it doesn’t happen by accident.
Outcome-Focused Training for GovTech Teams
Shipping outcomes to production quickly and securely takes practice—not just potential.
ShipSummit is where GovTech teams send their top technical talent to level up. It’s hands-on, outcome-driven training that gives engineers, designers, and product managers the tools, mindset, and muscle memory to deliver from day one.
Whether you’re a leader looking to accelerate your team’s impact, or a technologist ready to sharpen your delivery skills—ShipSummit is where it starts.
👉 Visit the ShipSummit page to learn more.