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Company: Department of Labor Office of the Chief Information Officer, Washington, DC
Company Description: The Office of the Chief Information Officer is a customer service organization dedicated to providing information technology solutions and leadership to advance the Department of Labor mission.
Nomination Category: Information Technology Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Technical Professional of the Year
 Nomination Title: Madhu Murthy - DOL OCIO
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated non-executive technical professional's achievements since the beginning of 2020, OR an essay of up to 650 words? (Choose one):
An essay of up to 650 words
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video:
- If you are providing an essay of up to 650 words, place it in the following space:
Total 646 words used.
Madhu Murthy is a hands-on technology leader who provides technical thought leadership in software design, architecture, and development to advance the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)’s operations. Madhu has earned his reputation as a “fixer,” able to handle the most challenging issues across multiple DOL mission areas, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management’s Office of Human Resources (OHR), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Employment and Training Administration, Veterans Employment and Training Services, Wage and Hour Division, and Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy.
Madhu worked on several IT transformations this year, including analyzing OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA) system for code, system, platform, and data issues. OSHA oversees seven million worksites, focusing its inspection resources on the most hazardous workplaces. The ITA helps OSHA evaluate workplace safety, met industry standards, and understand industry hazards so they can implement worker protections to reduce and eliminate these hazards and prevent future workplace injuries and illnesses. Additionally, ITA identifies frequent workplace safety regulation violators through better quality data so staff can concentrate efforts on those higher-risk employers and top-priority inspection requirements. To address problems with the system taking several minutes to respond and crashing frequently, Madhu provided a roadmap to resolve these problems and provide oversight of implementation efforts. Now, based on load-testing results, ITA responds in under a few seconds with six-times the anticipated load and no crashes—a dramatic improvement in ITA’s responsiveness and stability.
Madhu also supported the VaxTrak system, designed to collect and verify DOL employees’ vaccination statuses—a highly visible, department-wide priority to meet a Presidential Executive Order. VaxTrax allows employees to upload documentation for supervisors’ review and verification. Its initial launch had significant performance issues and defects. Madhu’s supervisor asked him to help the project team conduct a software code review to resolve the performance issue within a day. Upon releasing the second update to the system, three weeks after the first, Madhu formed an expert response team of technologists to resolve any critical technical issues and coordinate infrastructure updates based on performance tests. Thanks to his efforts, VaxTrak’s second release happened on time and without issue.
Madhu helped the Telework Express team get on track to meet OHR’s expectations. Telework Express digitized a manual, paper-based telework-approval process, allowing DOL staff to submit telework requests with a web-based form for direct supervisor approval. The new system speeds up telework submission processing, supporting DOL’s employee telework program. Madhu got the project on track by implementing standardized Agile practices and identifying pain points and technical debt to produce “AS-IS” and “TO-BE” architectural diagrams. Next, he produced an implementation roadmap with regular backlog refinement and sprint release planning. Finally, he held daily code reviews and technical huddles to ensure the project stayed on track. Thanks to Madhu’s efforts and leadership, OHR and executive leadership grew confident in the system meeting expectations.
In addition to Madhu’s technical expertise and troubleshooting skills, he makes significant contributions to standardizing and improving internal processes. For example, the Business Application Services directorate contracts with many outside vendors who use their own installation of the Atlassian Jira issue-tracking software to develop software solutions. When vendors use their own Jira installation, DOL loses visibility and doesn’t have a singular view of the DOL requirements backlog. Madhu took the lead in migrating data from each vendor’s Jira installation into one centralized OCIO Jira installation. As a result, OCIO can keep track of all user requirements and project progress, reducing DOL’s risk.
Madhu Murthy’s IT prowess, dedication, and leadership make him an ideal candidate for Technical Professional of the Year. His technical accomplishments have inspired DOL and vendor IT professionals to produce innovative work and positioned DOL as an IT leader. His efforts incorporating new technologies and developing reusable enterprise capabilities and processes empower DOL employees with systems needed to serve the American public.
- In bullet-list form, provide a brief summary (up to 150 words) of up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of the nominated technical professional since the beginning of 2020:
Total 150 words used.
- Migrated vendor Jira instances into a centralized OCIO instance to improve tracking and reduce risk.
- Mentored federal and vendor Project Managers and Product Owners on Enterprise Agile best practices.
- Provided technical fixes for high-profile agency portfolios (OSHA, ETA, VETS), reducing system risks.
- Identified code, system, and data issues in OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application system, helping OSHA evaluate safety and reduce workplace injuries.
- Led highly visible internal projects (Telework Express, VaxTrak), supporting department-wide initiatives.
- Completed in record time research, alternatives analysis, and procurement of enterprise address validation service.
- Created a request for quote under tight deadlines for ID verification services, supporting the American Rescue Plan Act.
- Modernized WHD legacy apps, solving data integration and analytics issues (after three failed attempts before Madhu’s tenure).
- Released external-facing IT application for Section 14c of the Fair Labor Standards Act without issues.
- Reduced time spent on Section 14c application, increasing application security, performance, and quality.
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