Performance Management
What Plumbers Can Teach Public Managers
Feather O’Connor Houstoun, Governing
When a program is dysfunctional, the problem is often in the pipes and valves it flows through.

Analytics/Evaluation
Actionable Measurement: Getting from “Prove” to “Improve”
Matthew Forti and Kim Siegal, Stanford Social Innovation Review
There’s a set of common questions every direct-service nonprofit should answer to maximize learning, action, and impact.

Customer Service
3 Cities Where User Experience Design Helped Make Services Better
Ben Miller, Government Technology
There are often easier ways to do the things that government does.

Innovation
DOD to create chief innovation officer position
Sean Carberry, Federal Computer Week
Defense Secretary Ash Carter is implementing some of the initial recommendations of the Defense Innovation Board, including the creation of a new position to drive innovation efforts.
Innovation Labs: 10 Defining Features
Lidia Gryszkiewicz, Tuukka Toivonen, and Ioanna Lykourentzou, Stanford Social Innovation Review
A closer look at what characterizes an innovation lab can help practitioners, funders, and scholars better understand what labs’ potential and limits might be, as well as better assess the social impact that comes out of the them.

Leadership
White House Announces 15 New Leadership Development Fellows From Top Career Ranks
Kellie Lunney, Government Executive
Defense, GSA, and NASA each earned two slots among second class of emerging leaders.

Open Government
Why government open-data practices are low-tech
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
The open-data movement is still in its infancy. In a new report, the Data Foundation charts how it can grow up.
Report: Open data’s positives are still in their infancy
Carten Cordell, Federal Times
The promise of open data holds a lot of positives for agency leaders, but a new report finds that the road to that promise is still a long one.

Presidential Transition
Get Ready: Presidential Transitions Are Full of Surprises
Alan Balutis, Government Executive
The complicated shift to a new administration began months ago, but for some, the hard part is just beginning.