Performance Management
DoD hashing out new civilian performance appraisal system
Andy Medici, Federal Times
The new system will consist of three tiers—workers will be rated as unsuccessful, successful or superior—and will be uniform across almost all of DoD.

Efficiency/Reorganization
City Finances and the Promise of Data Visualization
Steve Goldsmith, Governing
New tools that make it easy to find and view government financial data are enabling big gains in efficiency and transparency.

Innovation
A new direction for Presidential Innovation Fellows
Colby Hochmuth, Federal Computer Week
New PIF Director Garren Givens has revamped the selection process and installed a new system that means less “parachuting in” and wider opportunities for participants.
Implementing a department-wide innovation strategy: An interview with Bryan Sivak, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator
Under Sivak’s leadership HHS launched its IDEA Lab in 2013, which has already catalyzed more than 100 innovation projects.
Buying What Works: Case Studies in Innovative Contracting
Tom Kalil and Lesley Field, OMB Blog
OSTP and OMB have released the first version of Innovative Contracting Case Studies, an evolving document that describes a number of ways Federal agencies are getting more innovation per taxpayer dollar.