Performance Management
OPM proposes changes to SES performance standards
Ginger Whitaker, Federal News Radio
OPM has proposed changes to performance standards for Senior Executive Service members. that would clarify and update the three-year-old performance appraisal system and provide more oversight.
The Public-Administration Quandary: ‘Who’ vs. ‘What’
Feather O’Connor Houstoun, Governing
In the end, it’s usually better to define what a service should be before deciding who should deliver it.

Analytics/Evaluation
Making Data Real – Lessons From and For Federal Leaders
Robert Gordon, Business of Government
Ways to be successful, and hurdles to be mindful of, when beginning an analytics initiative.

Innovation
Doubling Down on the Innovation-Team Model
Stephen Goldsmith, Governing
Another 14 cities are about to build their own “i-teams.” No longer an experimental approach, it’s a proven route to cross-cutting accomplishments.

Open Government
Agencies have a long way to go to reach data-centricity
Jason Miller, Federal News Radio
Agencies are beginning to understand how best to meet the requirements of the White House’s open data policy from May 2013, with several agencies realizing what’s needed is a combination of policy and action.