Pandemic Waste Is Enough to Make a Person Cry

Federal News Network (Interview with Comptroller General Gene Dodaro)

“[A]gencies were supposed to implement 2016 legislation to implement GAO best practices for preventing fraud before it occurred. But they were slow to put these in place. So SBA and Department of Labor weren’t really as ready as they should have been to prevent fraud before the pandemic emergency.”

Performance Measurement Is Alive and Well

FCW (Steve Kelman)

“The President’s budget just came out — and lo and behold, it includes a document called Our Government’s Goals, that lists performance goals by agency. I opened a few of them – for Social Security, Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. . .  As I look at the priority performance goals in the list, my overall reaction is that they are pretty good.”

How Cross-Branch Collaboration Helps States Strengthen Evidence-Based Policymaking

Pew Charitable Trusts – Results First

Results First has identified three strategies for improved cross-branch collaboration: 1. incorporating collaboration into law; 2. developing diverse advisory groups; and 3. establishing shared tools and processes.

Biden’s Management Agenda Update Includes Metrics for Workforce Goals

Government Executive

The first major update to the management agenda adds more detail to goals related to the federal workforce and improving customer experience, as well as metrics to measure agencies’ performance. Goals and metrics related to “the business of government” remain under development, the administration wrote.

Pandemic Sharpens Government Focus on Data

Deloitte/Wall Street Journal

As agencies discovered the full power of data-sharing during the pandemic, many rushed to adopt new tools and policies, often boosting the role of the chief data officer along the way.

Pittsburgh Recognized for Exceptional Use of Data and Evidence to Improve Residents’ Lives

City of Pittsburgh/What Works Cities

Pittsburgh is proud to announce that it has achieved What Works Cities Certification in recognition of its exceptional use of data to guide decision-making and improve residents’ lives. What Works Cities Certification, a national Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative led by Results for America, has awarded Certification to 55 U.S. cities for outstanding data practices since 2017.

Resource of the Week:  Data Foundation/Data Coalition

The nonprofit Data Foundation conducts research and educational activities on the use of data to solve public problems, accelerate policy coordination, and advance innovation. The Data Coalition is an initiative of the Foundation; it is a membership-based national advocacy community for responsible policies to make government data high-quality, accessible, and usable.