ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Evaluation Competencies in an Age of Collapse

American Evaluation Association (Scott Chaplowe)

Evaluation was built for stable systems, and we no longer have those. Evaluation cannot afford a double life of living as though nothing has changed while knowing everything has, which means our competencies have to change.

The 15 States Using Data and Evidence to Deliver Results

Results for America/The Department of What Works

The growing number of states recognized in Results for America’s “Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence” show momentum for a get-things-done approach to governing.

Sunnyvale’s Performance Measurement System, After 40 years

Public Administration Review

This study provides the first longitudinal, cross-programmatic assessment of a performance measurement system, introducing a digital archival approach to analyze 40 years of municipal budget documents from Sunnyvale, California: the prototype for the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

Creating an Evidence Research Agenda

Nature

The authors outline a research agenda to advance understanding of why there is a persistent production/adoption gap and knowledge of what works, and what can be done to increase adoption of evidence that improves societal outcomes.

A KPI Needs Four Distinct Owners

PuMP Academy

Like a puppy or kitten, if no one takes personal ownership of a performance measure, it will die a slow death. Conversely, if the puppy or kitten has too many owners, everyone might assume someone else will take care of it. And it will die a slow death.

Resource of the Week:  Tier Board and Rounding Guidebook

LinkedIn (Michael Jacobson)

Rounding, the term and concept, was borrowed from the medical field when doctors go on “rounds” to check in on patients. In the performance management space, King County, WA, used it as a way for senior leaders to check in on departments and their operational and strategic performance. . . . This link includes the enterprise guidebook covering the core performance management principles, visual management guidance, and leadership behavior elements.

From Data to Decisions

Substack (Manish Srivastava)

An essay on why the next generation of digital government needs an architecture for evidence, reasoning and accountability. The author discusses a fundamental question: What digital architecture do governments need to move from data to decisions in a way that is trustworthy, explainable and accountable?

Job Announcement: Performance Manager

State of Maryland

The Performance Manager is responsible for advancing the work of the Governor’s Office of Performance Improvement by working closely with the team and with key points of contacts within agencies to advance the priorities of the Moore-Miller Administration. Deadline for submission: September 9, 2026.

WEBINAR: Collaborative Performance Management (Tues., Sept. 8, 1 p.m. Eastern)

Center for Accountability & Performance

This webinar will explore how public managers can make performance management work in collaborative settings. Based on cases from the United States, Jamaica, and the Netherlands, it will showcase how collaborations use performance measures and information to manage and improve their work. Panelists are from each of the three countries.

WEBINAR: Collaborative Performance Management (Tues., Sept. 8, 1 p.m. Eastern)

Center for Accountability & Performance

This webinar will explore how public managers can make performance management work in collaborative settings. Based on cases from the United States, Jamaica, and the Netherlands, it will showcase how collaborations use performance measures and information to manage and improve their work. Panelists are from each of the three countries.

A Conversation about Performance Management

Partnership for Public Service

Federal personnel expert Tim Curry shares lessons learned during his 36-year career in staff-level performance management, ranging from his experience at a small Air Force base in Indiana to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management which oversees the entire federal workforce.

Three Cheers for Performance Audits

Barrett & Green

While the work from many state and local-level performance shops is put to good use, it’s clear that performance audits don’t always have the impact that the performance auditors might like. . . . Notwithstanding the rate at which the recommendations are adapted, auditors can point to problems that require attention from elected leaders and program managers. (see next story for a federal angle!)

Government Getting Less Oversight

NOTUS

The once-independent system that Congress established after Watergate has radically transformed in Trump’s second term. Trump’s unprecedented firing of nearly 20 inspectors general has unraveled the firewalls government’s ombudsmen have operated under for decades. The new watchdogs are erasing the lines between agency leadership and their own watchdog offices

Checking in on California Outcomes Reviews

SubStack, Eating Policy (Jen Pahlka)

Last November, the California Assembly launched a pilot called “Outcomes Reviews:” a structured process by which a legislator and their staff publicly commit to reviewing a law they championed, spend months meeting with the people the law actually affects and researching the outcomes, and then announce what they learned and what they’re going to do about it. This is a story about its first round of reviews.

Managing Risks in Federally-Funded, State-Administered Programs

U.S. Government Accountability Office

This Q&A report looks at the 20 programs that receive nearly all of this funding—Medicaid, SNAP, and disaster assistance for example. GAO describes how each program is administered, including who distributes and safeguards the funds. GAO also discusses fraud risks in each program and how to mitigate them.

Strategic Foresight: Italian Edition

Frontiers in Political Science

This article examines how strategic foresight is understood and used within the Italian central government, and to what extent it is conceived as a foundational component of policy design oriented toward sustainable futures.