OEI-EGM oversaw dozens of governance forums across VA, including the Executive Board, Operations Board, Evidence-Based Policy Council and Investment Review Council. Each board played a unique role in advancing agency initiatives, yet few shared a consistent process for decision-making, documentation or follow-up. Some lacked defined authority or charter documentation, while others operated without clear lines of communication between decision levels.
Without unified governance standards, action items were delayed, board recommendations stalled and enterprise-wide coordination suffered. VA needed to bring consistency to these boards to improve efficiency and strengthen governance accountability.
Aptive delivered a suite of mission-critical operational support solutions to unify VA’s approach to governance. This included process documentation, digital tools and inter-agency coordination structures to support consistency across all boards and councils.
Aptive developed uniform tools such as briefing decks, dashboards, templates and reporting structures for use across governance forums. These tools ensured all boards followed consistent protocols when capturing decisions, tracking action items and submitting materials for review by higher-level bodies.
The team built automated workflows for scheduling, agenda-setting, document archiving and task management using Office 365 and SharePoint. These tools enabled seamless flow of information from board to board and eliminated paper-based delays. Aptive also created interactive calendars to manage deadlines and keep governance actions on schedule.
Each board received support in drafting formal charters outlining its scope, responsibilities and escalation thresholds. Aptive worked with VA leadership to define which decisions could be made at the board level and which required elevation, reducing unnecessary layers of review and improving time to resolution.
To preserve institutional memory and improve access to governance records, Aptive created a knowledge library with automated archiving and easy retrieval of decisions, guidance and supporting materials. A designated support email and helpline allowed staff to request help navigating process changes or locating documentation.
Through this engagement, Aptive helped VA establish a modern governance framework that increased transparency, accelerated decision-making and improved operational performance.
Key outcomes included:
These changes equipped VA with the tools to govern more effectively, manage enterprise-level priorities with greater discipline and improve the flow of mission-critical decisions across the agency.
