SIGNAL Provides a Modern Scheduling App that Works for Everyone

CMS’s security superheroes now have a bat SIGNAL to go along with their batCAVE.

Scheduling Interface for Government Navigation Alleviation, or SIGNAL, is a new custom-built, web-based application powered by batCAVE that allows Information System Security Officers (ISSOs) to schedule Adaptive Capabilities Testing (ACT) security assessments online.

SIGNAL provides a faster, easier way to schedule an ACT security assessment, a kind of test that all applications undergo every year as part of the compliance requirement to ensure that the app is secure.

The SIGNAL team wants stakeholders to know that there’s a new way to access the app. "As long as you have the correct job code, you can access the SIGNAL app from the idm.cms.gov dashboard," SIGNAL project manager Joan Yi explains.

An even quicker way to get to the production environment is to join the SIGNAL Slack channel, #SIGNAL-application-servicedesk, and find the link in the header.

Prior to SIGNAL, the ACT scheduling process for the ISSOs was lengthy and difficult. It required a lot of back-and-forth communication to secure a date, as well as a long intake form. 

There was also no way for the ISSOs to track their assessment status or to see their deadlines for when their artifacts were due to be uploaded on CFACTS. But SIGNAL has solved both issues through its user dashboard.

“SIGNAL is a step in modernization within CMS,” Yi explains. “It takes a very manual process and consolidates all of that on a user-friendly interface.”

But it’s not enough to have a great idea for an app. It must be user-friendly, too. That’s why human-centered design is a huge part of SIGNAL’s development. 

“We do user interviews every other week to capture their feedback and their pain points,” Yi explains. “We also have a feedback model that pops up whenever someone submits an intake form.”

The SIGNAL team makes it a point to meet with groups to share feedback that they have received, including feature requests and updates. Members of the ACT team can see what ISSOs, product owners, and business owners have to say about using the app. “This transparency is so important because it allows groups to brainstorm how to address the pain points and enhance the product,” says Yi.

So what’s next for SIGNAL? The team is working hard to bring risk assessment scheduling, expand the types of services that users can schedule within the app, provide penetration testing, and integrate with CFACTS, CMS's governance, risk, and compliance tool, to make scheduling more streamlined.

“We are a small but mighty team working to deliver value as fast as possible,” says Yi.

Want to learn more about SIGNAL? Watch for Yi's presentation at an upcoming Tech Topics session!

Want to learn more about batCAVE? Join the batCAVE webinar on Wednesday, April 19 to learn how batCAVE applies the principles of human-centered design. Register here for the webinar.

Also, see batCAVE podcasts to learn the Secrets of batCAVE on PlanetOIT.