ICMA Thoughts - Listening to City Leaders Driving Change
Listening to City Leaders Driving Change
As Chief Product Officer at Tenzing One, I have the privilege of speaking directly with City and County Managers who are redefining how local government gets things done. At this year’s ICMA 2025 Conference in Tampa, those conversations carried a clear message: cities are no longer waiting for digital transformation—they’re driving it.
From budgeting and transparency to interdepartmental coordination and public engagement, leaders understand that modern challenges require modern tools. Listening to their needs, it’s clear that success in managing capital project portfolios depends on more than technology—it depends on connection, process, and the confidence that every decision is backed by real-time insight.
That message echoed throughout the conference halls and in every conversation we had — a shared understanding that the future of city management depends on connected systems, not disconnected tools.
The Momentum for Transformation Is Here
ICMA 2025 in Tampa made one thing abundantly clear:
City and County Managers are no longer debating digital transformation; they recognize it is essential. Across sessions and conversations, one message stood out: the complexity of managing today’s cities, their capital projects, public trust, transparency, and interdepartmental coordination can no longer be supported by disconnected spreadsheets, endless email threads, or legacy systems. What was different this year was not just the talk about modernization, but the acceptance that transformation must happen, and adoption must follow. City Managers are ready to move from paper to process, from silos to systems that connect people, data, and decisions.
Why Tenzing One Is Aligned with the Mission
As Chief Product Officer at Tenzing One, I could not be more aligned with that mission. Our process-oriented project management system was built precisely for this moment, when cities are ready to take ownership of their digital journey, connect every stakeholder, and manage their capital programs with confidence, clarity, and accountability.
The conversation has shifted from “Should we modernize?” to “When do we start?” and that is the most encouraging sign of all.
Shaping the Future Together
Every discussion we have with city leaders helps shape what comes next for Tenzing One. As our platform continues to evolve, we remain focused on solving the challenges that matter most to those managing their communities’ most critical investments: their capital projects.
Digital transformation is not about replacing people with technology; it is about empowering leaders with visibility, insight, and confidence. When we listen first, we build better, and that is exactly how Tenzing One continues to grow — from the real needs of City Managers who are ready to lead their organizations into a more connected, data-driven future.
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