DOD Establishes Customer Experience Enhancement Office Under CIO Office

John Sherman, the Department of Defense’s chief information officer and a past Wash100 awardee, has formed a new office designed to deliver IT products and digital platform enhancements for defense personnel.

According to DOD Principal Deputy CIO and 2024 Wash100 awardee Leslie Beavers, the Customer Experience Officer Portfolio Management Office will establish a data-driven approach to improve the Pentagon’s user experience. Beavers said some of the office’s initial work are creating strategic guidance for customer experience, assessing the Pentagon’s performance and aligning business objectives with user needs.

The office will use performance data gathered from network and user devices, as well as customer feedback, to improve experiences, DefenseScoop reported.

The CXO office’s establishment comes months after Sherman said IT user experience should be a top priority as it ensures that warfighters will not be stifled with obsolete technologies. Speaking at the AFCEA TechNet Cyber conference in May 2023, Sherman shared that UX will be manifested through software and hardware improvements, as well as software development.