Federal Modernization Workbook
Start Here
Where modernization begins: why identity comes first, and the first step leadership can approve
New to the workbook? Start with this briefing of about 7 minutes. It makes one case: modernization should begin with identity, and the first step is small, bounded and can start now. It is written for the people who decide: the executive sponsor, the CIO, the CISO, the chief human capital officer and the authorizing official.
Watch
This is Episode 1 of the four-part Start series below; Episodes 2 to 4 pick up where it ends. Captions are available from the player’s captions button. The full narration is in the script below.
Download
| Edition | File |
|---|---|
| Video (MP4, 720p, about 7 minutes) | Start_Here_720p.mp4 |
| Narrated, self-running (about 7 minutes, captions) | Start_Here_Narrated.pptx |
| Deck, for presenting live | Start_Here.pptx |
| Narration script and caption track | Script · Captions |
The Start series
Four short executive briefings, about six minutes each (Episode 1 is about 7), watched in order. Episode 1 plays above.
| Episode | Briefing | Watch or present | Video | Script |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start Here: Where Modernization Begins — Why identity comes first, and the first step leadership can approve | Narrated deck (about 7 min) · Deck | ▶ Watch · MP4 · Captions | Script |
| 2 | The First Four Weeks — What Phase 0 produces: the assessment, the owners and Gate G0 | Narrated deck (about 6 min) · Deck | ▶ Watch · MP4 · Captions | Script |
| 3 | Foundation to Gate G1 — Weeks five to eight: groups, the MFA baseline, the first HR feed and Gate G1 | Narrated deck (about 6 min) · Deck | ▶ Watch · MP4 · Captions | Script |
| 4 | Making the Case at Your Agency — Four local numbers, a pitch for each decider, and one decision with an owner and a date | Narrated deck (about 6 min) · Deck | ▶ Watch · MP4 · Captions | Script |
The case in brief
- The clocks nobody can move. Federal directives and vendor end-of-support dates are set outside the agency. The workbook plans on Windows Server 2016 being gone from production by its January 12, 2027 end of support, with Windows Server 2019 as the minimum, and the other dates keep coming after it (Book 00, Chapter 01).
- Everything decides on identity. Access, devices, data and certificates all decide on who or what is asking, so identity has to be authoritative first (Book 00, Chapter 01; Book 01, Chapter 02).
- HR is being rebuilt anyway. Federal HR 2.0 moves agencies onto one Core HCM platform through FY 2027; OPM rebuilds the HR side, and the identity connection is the agency’s (Book 03, Chapter 03).
- The access risk is already on the books. Account decisions live in tickets and spreadsheets, and quarterly reviews can’t see a transition when it happens (Book 03, Chapter 02).
The ask: approve Phase 0, a four-week pre-flight that needs no vendor decision and produces an inventory, an owner and a date. The finish line: Gate G1, Foundation Complete, about four weeks later, measured from data (Book 01, Chapter 12).
Then go deeper
| Next | For |
|---|---|
| Book 00 executive briefing | The decisions leadership must make, with owners and timing |
| Book 01, Chapter 12 — Migration roadmap | Seven phases and six gates |
| The One-Page Ask and Charter Sign-Off Sheet | Fill-in Word forms for the meeting: the decision, your four numbers, and who signs what |
| Briefs for each reader: CIO, CISO, CHCO, Authorizing Official | One page each, to hand over before the meeting |
| Book 02 — Identity & Directory | The identity foundation |
| Book 03 — HR-Driven Identity | HR as the source of authority, and Federal HR 2.0 |
| All presentations | A deck for every book, with narrated editions |
| Workbook Map | Every page, deck, video and kit: what it does, where it lands and when it last changed |
The workbook is independent analysis, not an official publication of any agency. Every claim in this briefing is footnoted to a primary source in the chapters linked above.