A Master of Science in Business Analytics student, Soumya Nambi Ganesh tested her data science skills working with the Agile Decision Dashboard team as part of her Karsun Innovation Center internship. In taking on this project, which reports key metrics to executive and management-level decision-makers, she tackled everything from requirements gathering to data pipelines to transforming the data and constructing visualizations. Discover how Soumya worked with the Innovation Center Research and Development (RnD) team to build this dashboard and find her next.

First please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

Hi, I’m Soumya Nambi Ganesh. I’m pursuing a Master of Science degree in Business Analytics at the University of Southern California in LA. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, playing badminton and watching all genres of movies.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

As part of my internship at Karsun, I worked on building an Agile Decision Dashboard. This dashboard includes interactive visualizations built on company – data in terms of Objectives, Key Results, Costs, Management, Quality and Schedule. I was given the opportunity to be a part of the project right from the beginning – where I met with the executives of the company for personal interviews on their requirements for the dashboard. I worked on the entire data pipeline, which involved identifying various data sources, building scripts to extract data and transforming the data into desirable formats. I then worked on computing new metrics and eventually constructing visualizations that are to be used for intuitive decision-making by the executives. 

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

My favorite part of working at KIC is the opportunity to meet with colleagues with different skills and expertise, in a close-net team and learn of their various perspectives. I love a good challenge and working with the KIC team offered me new tasks, with changing requirements in a sort of RnD environment. This pushed me to get out of my comfort zone, quickly learn new tools and methods and implement the same. 

I also was able to enhance my data science skills by undertaking a course on Udemy, through Karsun, which was a bonus to my learning here! 

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

My main takeaway would be bridging the gap requirements and data. This involves understanding executive-level and management-level requirements and then finding a way to clean messy data, transform them into meaningful metrics and display them as visualizations to answer specific business questions. I was also able to improve on this process through the continuous feedback I received from various members of the team, for which I am grateful. 

Soumya completed her internship as part of the Karsun Innovation Center. Learn Karsun accelerate Data Solutions adoption. Connect with Soumya on LinkedIn to learn more about her experience.

Nikhil Davangre Basavaraj’s Innovation Center internship not only helped him prepare for an AWS certification, it also gave him real-life DevOps experience. Nikhil, a Computer Science Masters student, advanced these skills while working on tools used by Karsun teams. Along the way, he built Terraform scripts, assessed costs for AWS services and developed on Karsun’s AI-Asssisted Redux Platform. Take a deep dive into Nikhil’s process and his experience during his internship in this interview. 

First, please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

Hi all !! My name is Nikhil. I am currently doing my Masters in Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). In my free time I like to play cricket or go for a swim. I love watching movies and anime as well.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenges does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

Initially, I built an Appsheet app called “Fedelivery”, which helps Government Organizations spread across the US to handle deliveries of confidential items. After this I was working with a fellow intern on implementing push notifications for the KIC Konnect app using Firebase. 

Later on, I started working on DevOps tasks. My first task was to configure logging in the Application Load Balancer level in AWS using Terraform. Although it was my first time working with Terraform, with the help of my mentors, I was able to understand and complete the task successfully. 

The next task that I took over was to enable Application Logging in the EKS level, where data is logged in AWS Cloudwatch from EKS using Fluent Bit. The logs in CloudWatch are to be stored for 7 days which will then be moved to an S3 bucket for further storage for 30 days. Later on, the data will be moved to Infrequent Access Storage for 60 days, and finally, the logs will be transferred to Cold/Glacier Storage for a year. I had to use Fluent Bit for log forwarding to Cloudwatch, and I wrote the script for the above in Terraform. I was successfully able to complete the task and push the code to [Karsun’s] Redux Platform. 

Right now, I am working on implementing a Terraform script to deploy WAF (Web Application Firewall) to the Load Balancers on AWS. WAF protects applications from web-based attacks and hence is very crucial. I even have to do research regarding the pricing of the WAF service to help the company plan budget-wise. So far, the tasks are going well, and I am enjoying the work I am doing here at Karsun.

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

I think the best part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center is the opportunity to solve real-world problems and get mentored by top-notch developers. I even got the opportunity to prepare for my AWS certification because of the Udemy course offered by Karsun. I like meeting with my mentor weekly to discuss various things, like what we did during the weekend or what blockers I am facing. The people are what make the company, and I am delighted to be a part of this wonderful team.

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

My biggest takeaway from Karsun is the insights I received from this internship. It has helped me to grow both personally and professionally. My entry into the field of DevOps was made possible because of this internship. Initially, I had to do a lot of reading and research to get the tasks done, which helped me learn a lot.

Nikhil’s internship was completed with support from the Karsun Innovation Center and the DevOps Practice Area. The resources in our Innovation Center’s practice areas are available to all Karsun teams. Connect with Nikhil on LinkedIn to learn more about his experience.

Our people at Karsun Solutions, power possible for government agencies. That includes our modernization experts currently building new solutions for complex systems. It also consists of the people that lead and champion their efforts. At Karsun, whether you are building solutions or cheering on our teams, we empower you to Find Your Next.

In this final post in our series on how problem solvers grow while supporting our customers’ missions, we share the experience of team champions and leaders at Karsun. Our team champions are an integral part of our collaborative, problem-solving-oriented culture. That includes providing the resources and tools they need to grow in their practice. Our Karsun Innovation Center has a Lean Practice Area dedicated to this mission. Like the toolkits and other resources provided by our other Practice Areas, this team advocates for project management, process improvement, and operational excellence.

Champions Grow With Karsun

We also support the growth and ongoing professional development of our champions. Every Karsun employee has access to paid training and subsidized professional certifications. We also host people leader workshops and workshops important to emerging leaders. For example, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) scrum master, product owner/product manager and agilist are among our most popular training options for growing leaders.

Karsun sponsors senior team leaders for industry fellowships and mentorship programs as well. We are a longtime supporter of the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) professional development programs. Eleven Karsun leaders are ACT-IAC fellows and several have returned to their programs as leaders and advisors. 

ACT-IAC is a premier forum for collaboration between the government and the technology community. Each of our industry fellows partnered with a government fellow as part of their professional development program. Supporting our team champions’ engagement in organizations like ACT-IAC is how we ensure your growth is part of our commitment to serving our agency customers’ mission. 
As our leaders cheer on their teams, we cheer on their growth at Karsun. Our teams grow together, serving the government and building new, exciting technology solutions. Whether you are one of these champions or someone looking to experiment and build with us, Find Your Next at KarsunCareers.com/jobs. 

This blog is our fourth and final our series our how problem solvers grow at Karsun. Check out our previous posts and discover where we find our next, we experiment for mission success and how our teams collaborate with toolkits.

Sinduja Sankar’s internship pushed her out of her comfort zone, letting her experience building workflow solutions with new software and automation tools. In this interview, the Georgia Tech graduate student shares her experience working alongside the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC). Learn how working in the fast-paced center enriched Sinduja’s practice as she built a proof of concept using the open source business automation platform Kogito, presented at bi-weekly Innovation Center “Show, Don’t Tell” sessions and grew as an intern at Karsun.

First please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

I am Sinduja! I am currently pursuing my master’s in computer science at Georgia Tech. In my free time, I love exploring museums in the DMV area and trying out new local restaurants with my friends. I also enjoy reading and playing video games.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

My project involves creating a proof of concept for a federal agency application using Kogito, an open source business automation platform for managing workflows. This would reduce the amount of code written significantly to manage the automation of workflows. The task involved understanding the existing workflow in a large code repository and redesigning the workflow iteratively with other developers. The workflow automates processes and decision-making, thereby making it more efficient and adaptive.

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

The best part about working at Karsun is the supportive atmosphere. I am genuinely grateful to be part of such a wonderful group. The “Show, Don’t Tell” sessions which happen every two weeks are very interesting and give us a bird’s-eye view of what everyone is working on. I also really appreciate the intellectually stimulating nature of every project undertaken by KIC and the opportunity to work with the latest tools and technologies.

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

As an intern, my key takeaway is that change is constant. Throughout the internship, I’ve experienced various forms of change, from adapting to a new environment to taking up responsibilities out of my comfort zone by experimenting with new software. I am grateful for this experience as it has taught me to be open-minded and adaptable.  

Sinduja’s internship supported work performed by the Karsun Innovation Center. Learn how the Research and Development teams in the center created proof of concepts, prototype solutions and investigate emerging technologies. Connect with Sinduja on LinkedIn to learn more about her internship experience.

Mithran Mohanraj is a junior at George Mason University and a member of the Karsun Innovation Center 2023 Intern Class. As part of his internship, Mithran took on the challenge of developing a prototype application that addresses a hypothetical problem faced by a government agency. In addition to completing this prototype designed to drive engagement with the National Parks Service, he explored mobile app development with enhancements to the Karsun employee app, Konnect. Learn how Mithran connected with the Innovation Center team and deepened his UI/UX practice in this short interview.

First please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

I am studying Computer Science at George Mason University in my Junior year. In my free time, I like to develop games, exercise at the gym, go for jogs outside, and read books.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

So far in the internship, I have worked on an AppSheet app that was supposed to solve a problem the federal government faces. I made an app that could increase revenue and engagement with the National Parks Service. After finishing that app, I worked on creating a mobile version of the Karsun Konnect web page using AppSheet. This app also receives push notifications from multiple sources including the Brown Bag and Dojos app. It also receives notifications for company-wide announcements. I am also working on an expense request app for HR to use in AppSheet.

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

My favorite part about working at the Karsun Innovation Center is the people. I really enjoy working with everyone and collaborating to create something useful. I also enjoy the opportunity I have been given to learn UI/UX design. It is one of my longtime interests and I am grateful I have an opportunity to learn it professionally.

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

My biggest takeaway is that working in a professional environment is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience. It is very different from school and I feel like I am learning a lot of practical skills that will help me in the future.

Mithran’s internship supported work performed by the Karsun Innovation Center. Learn how the Research and Development teams in the center prototype solutions, research emerging technologies and enhance the employee experience at Karsun. Connect with Mithran on LinkedIn to learn more about his time at Karsun. 

Digital transformation accelerates government agencies’ ability to meet their mission and elevate their capabilities. Now more than ever, these agencies are racing to build secure systems that improve the citizen experience while preparing for future needs and users. To help agencies meet and continually address these challenges, Karsun delivers Modernization for Every Next. 

As Karsun empowers these agencies for their Every Next, we enable our technology experts and problem solvers to Find Your Next. As part of our ongoing series, we are sharing how builders, experimenters, and innovators use technology to solve intricate modernization challenges at Karsun. When they join our team, they grow their careers while using their problem-solving skills to support government agencies in the acquisitions, aviation, grants management, and fleet management industries.

Our last post shared how our Karsun Innovation Center empowers teams to Find Your Next through experimentation. Part of that process was leveraging our toolkits based on mature technology solutions. Another component of those toolkits is their robust support for nurturing collaboration as part of the problem-solving process. Notably, this collaboration is centered on the customer and user experience, ensuring the mission comes first in every solution we execute. 

A Collaborative Culture Adapts to Mission Needs

Nowhere is this commitment more evident than when we implement our Digital Transformation Toolkits. Using domain driven design, we focus on the mission of our customer and their users. Our assessment starts by engaging experts in the customer’s domain (e.g., users of grants management platforms) with our technical experts in an approach called event storming. We use the feedback from these collaborative sessions to build scalable, flexible applications using ready-made microservices resources developed by our Karsun Innovation Center. (We dive deeper into this approach in our recent Design for Every Next white paper.)

For one of our grants management customers, our collaboration-centered toolkits allowed us to build a platform that modernized existing legacy grants programs while adding new grants programs to meet that customer’s emerging needs. Our teams could do this because our process prioritizes collaboration and gives our builders and problem solvers the tools to adapt to new customer requests. 

Empowering Self Guiding Teams

In the previous post, we also mentioned our GoLean Agile Platform, which provides data driven insights into the development process. The tools on this platform also support another core principle at Karsun, enabling self guiding teams. We ensure our teams have the autonomy to problem solve and build solutions in the best way for them. 

One component of that process is giving those teams the tools to assess their productivity. Our GoLean toolkit provides over 25 health and diagnostic visualizations to help teams better understand their work. These visualizations include measurements like lead time, release frequency, and failure rate. Our toolkit also provides these teams with eight statistical models to help them better predict outcomes.

In addition to these technology resources, we support self guiding through our commitment to workplace flexibility. Most roles at Karsun allow teams to determine whether they wish to remain fully remote or hybrid. Our headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, has collaborative workspaces for those that want to gather in person. However, all resources, from training to toolkits, are available virtually, and most of our teams are fully remote. 

At Karsun, we support our collaborative community with the resources and flexibility to solve problems effectively. Our teams are mission focused and passionate about technology’s ability to deliver better government to the citizen. If you, too, are passionate about building better technology for the government, then Team Karsun is where you will Find Your Next. Learn more about our open roles at KarsunCareers.com/jobs.

This blog is our third in our four part series. Follow along and discover why Karsun is Where Problem Solvers Find Their Next and Where Experts Experiment for Mission Success.

Meet Luca Moukheiber. A rising college sophomore, he is a member of the 2023 Karsun Innovation Center Internship Program. He worked alongside artificial intelligence (AI), federal acquisitions and data solutions experts as part of a project team developing a federal contracts management proof of concept. In the interview below, we learn more about Luca, his project using a Large Language Model to generate code and his favorite parts about working with our Innovation Center. 

First please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?

I am an Echols Scholar about to start my second year at the University of Virginia, where I am majoring in computer science. I enjoy hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and playing the guitar in my free time.

Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?

As part of the Karsun initiative to explore the integration of generative AI into application development, I developed a file attachment feature used in a proof of concept application using Large Language Model (LLM) technology to generate code for certain parts of my project. I created a custom interface for users to upload, view, or delete documents as part of a reporting system. My project solves the challenge of improving efficiencies and reducing costs associated with federal contract management. This task involved working on both the front and back end to store documents in a database and the cloud. Leveraging AI to reduce manual code writing reduces development time and improves efficiency. The technologies that I used in this project were GPT-4, Angular, Spring Boot, Postgres, AWS S3, LocalStack, Jest, Nx, Flyway, and Podman.

What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?

My favorite part of working in the Innovation Center is having the opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions to novel problems. The projects evolve rapidly, with ample space for creative thinking and problem-solving. I appreciate Karsun’s emphasis on intern learning. I am currently studying to become certified as an AWS Developer Associate.

What is the biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?

My biggest takeaway is that keeping an open mind, being adaptable, and continuously learning are core software development skills. I came in with no Angular experience, and understanding how everything worked together in the codebase was difficult at first. However, by taking courses, I saw how the material I learned applied to the real project I was working on, enabling me to build my own feature. There were also situations where I had to change my approach because I ran into blockers, which took me extra time to figure out but strengthened my problem-solving abilities.

Luca’s internship was supported by the Karsun Solutions Innovation Center Practice Areas. Learn more about Karsun’s Acquisitions Management Modernization solutions. Connect with Luca on LinkedIn.

At Karsun, we help civilian government agencies prepare for Every Next with mission driven modernization. We encourage experimentation, and facilitation of innovation that produces solutions that use the best suited technology to help these agencies meet their mission. Using the right technology at the right time ensures our solutions are built to last.

When you join Team Karsun, you become part of the team delivering state-of-the-art, long-lasting solutions to these government agencies. Whether applying emerging technology or using proven resources to produce extraordinary results, Karsun is where experimenters and problem solvers Find Your Next. Moreover, when you are here, our team will cheer you on and celebrate as you solve problems and build exciting new solutions!

All Karsun, team members have access to two critical components of the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC). Our in-house research and development team is the first stop for teams ready to try building with emerging technologies. This team receives requests via our Innovation Radar. The R&D team validates the technology and then creates a prototype. Working alongside the customer team, they develop the prototype further to implement the solution.

Each month we share and promote successful implementations at our Innovation Town Halls. If you want to grow your career through experimentation and innovation, these monthly events are your opportunity to shine. Open to the entire company, executives, portfolio leaders, and experts eager to introduce new solutions attend these interactive sessions. Every solution includes a demo and a question-and-answer session. Many Karsun colleagues follow town halls with brown bags to share their findings, process, and expertise.

Fully matured solutions may later be included in our Innovation Center Toolkits. These kits combine robust assessments, data driven analysis, and proven resources with expert guidance from our Innovation Center Practice Areas. Leveraging industry best practices, our toolkits are used by our teams as readymade cloud migration, DevSecOps, microservices, UI/UX, agile, and data solution resources.

Early adopters and those early in their technology careers may not yet feel comfortable participating directly in the R&D process. These toolkits support you as you implement new and powerful tools in your solutions using established guidelines and playbooks, plus support from our subject matter experts. Industry certifications also validate these toolkits. Our Cloud Runways and AWS cloud practice are backed by AWS Government, Migration, and DevOps Competencies. Our GoLean Agile Platform uses our CMMI v2.0 Level 5 DEV appraised software development methodology. That appraisal reflects our data driven approach to development using the visualization tools available with the GoLean toolkits.

As a manner of field testing these toolkits, some Karsun team members also participate in codeathons and challenge teams. These exercises allow our team to experiment with these resources to solve hypothetical problems that our government customers may face. Past challenges include applying new AI-assisted development tools, cybersecurity, and UI/UX resources.

Whether you want to lead new technology adoption or introduce new technology with expert guidance, Karsun has a growth opportunity for you. Resources from our Karsun Innovation Center R&D and Practice Area teams have your back. If you are an innovator or experimenter ready to help government agencies build better technology, join our team and Find Your Next.

Update August 2023: This blog was the second in our series exploring how our problem solvers grow at Karsun while helping our agency customers meet their mission. Check out our previous posts and discover where we find our next, how our teams collaborate with toolkits and how our team champions power possible.

Last June MeriTalk released its Modernization Hits and Misses: Lessons from Federal Digital Service Innovation report. Among the report’s findings, 99 percent of the federal information technology leaders surveyed said that IT modernization has changed the citizen experience. And you can be part of this government-wide effort to improve government for citizens.

Karsun Solutions’ technology modernization work helps agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency enhance their infrastructure and applications. When you join Team Karsun, you join a group of people inspired to solve problems to help the government serve its citizens better.  Along the way, you will work inside our collaborative culture, access proven toolkits and playbooks, and receive the support to champion your team’s goals. 

Collaborate, Innovate, Champion, and Grow

From collaborators to innovators to team champions, Karsun has opportunities for every problem solver looking to build their career. You can do this as part of a team of experts that puts our customers’ missions at the forefront of our work. Elevate our government agency customers’ capabilities and build exciting solutions when you Find Your Next at Karsun. 

For those who build by innovating and experimenting, the Karsun Innovation Center (KIC) has a wealth of resources to support your career journey. Our in-house research and development team works with innovative teams to take solutions from prototype to production. Our Practice Areas ensure everyone can access mature solutions using emerging technologies. Whether at the forefront of solutioning with emerging technologies or using building blocks created by our experts, Karsun is where experimenters and innovators find their next opportunity to envision the future of government.

Our Karsun problem solvers and experts are also members of our collaborative community. The resources developed by our Innovation Center support collaboration at every stage of the transformation process. Our remote/flexible roles empower self guiding teams to work together in their best work environment. Backed by this collaborative spirit, our teams defy assumptions and deliver extraordinary customer results.

Finally, our team champions lead from the top. Their role is essential to the ideation and execution of complex modernization solutions. Like our problem solvers and builders, our champions have dedicated KIC resources and training opportunities. Moreover, this training integrates knowledge of federal skill sets. At Karsun, leaders growing and building in the public sector will Find Your Next.

At any stage in your career journey, those that use technology to build new tools and solve complex problems can Find Your Next at Karsun. We hope you join us over the next few weeks as we delve deeper into how experimenters, collaborators, and champions meet our customers’ mission while growing at Karsun. Follow along to learn more, or start your career journey now at KarsunCareers.com/jobs. 

Update August 2023: This blog was the first in this series. Check out our previous posts and discover where we experiment for mission success, how our teams collaborate with toolkits and how our team champions power possible.

Every day over 21,000 people use U.S. government websites. Given this, incorporating the needs of millions of users while modernizing on a large scale can be daunting. Karsun Solutions President Terry Miller joins John Gilroy and the Federal Tech Podcast to share how a product mindset combined with Karsun’s Digital Transformation toolkits enable agencies to meet their mission while meeting the expectations of its users.

The Product Mindset

In the interview, Miller describes how legacy application modernization can get bogged down by a focus on adding functionality over a focus on the product as a whole. He notes by taking a product mindset, technology teams instead consider the purpose of the product and what it is supposed to do for its users. This goes beyond adding features or modernizing to meet new requirements. Instead, product mindset oriented modernization considers the long-term vision for the product. It involves stakeholders from the beginning to ensure their vision is part of the collective vision. This includes adopting feedback loops, like those used in human centered design, to ensure consistent input from the beginning.

Toolkits Accelerate Transformation

Miller explained the second part of Karsun’s approach to design at scale is its Digital Transformation Toolkits. These resources and playbooks accelerate transformation as Karsun begins its modernization process. For example, the Digital Transformation Design Toolkit uses a system of 40 different components enabling our developers to quickly create U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) standards compliant interfaces. This allows rapid interaction from prototype to production while engaging the frequent feedback cycle needed for product mindset development. Miller mentions Karsun’s new Design for Every Next whitepaper dives deeper into this relationship. Produced by the Karsun Innovation Center, the paper examines user experience throughout the modernization process.
The podcast is out now. Tune in to the Federal Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at https://www.theoakmontgroupllc.com/ep-73-how-to-build-federal-systems-for-scale-and-resilience/.