Lines of business predicted to survive

The lines of business initiative will stay in place, regardless of which presidential candidate wins in November, according to predictions by the market research firm Input.Most, if not all, of the individual LOBs will persist, Input said. The Office of Management and Budget program has proven useful in addressing government needs that transcend political differences.The company divided the lines of business into three categories, based on maturity, goals, ability to standardize, and political and cultural impact. The categories are:* Mature shared-service center vision, such as the Financial Management and Human Resources LOBs.* An evolving community-of-interest approach based on sharing best practices, such as the Grants Management and Information Security lines.*  Challenged efforts with limited constituencies, such as the Federal Health Architecture and Geospatial LOBs.The third category is most likely to see some programs fall away after the new administration takes office, said Lauren Jones, principal analyst at Input.“Agencies involved in the latter category can run into problems because the scope and mission may be too large for the handful of agencies that the LOB is intended to serve,” she said.