Performance Newsletter: Inaugural Issue!

Commonwealth Secretariat

“Performance Matters” is published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, serving as a central resource for knowledge management across the 56 Commonwealth nations. It was officially launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October 2024. The primary audience for this newsletter consists of public policy makers throughout the Commonwealth who are engaged in designing and implementing world-class government performance management systems in their respective countries.

Final Biden-Harris President’s Management Agenda Update

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

OMB has released its final quarterly updates to the Biden-Harris President’s Management Agenda (PMA). While this will be the last set of regular quarterly public updates to this PMA, PMA teams will continue to work on achieving their final milestones through January 2025.

What About Performance?

PATimes (Michael Ford)

The perfect place to set performance indicators and goals in a public organization is the budget. The budget can transmit the how, why and how well of every government program to internal (staff) and external (the public) audiences. Without a focus on performance secondary objectives, be they political or cultural, will take precedent.

Democracy Depends on Government That Works for Everyone

Chicago Sun Times (Michele Jolin)

Government must prove that it can solve problems and deliver results for all Americans nimbly, repeatedly, and without drama. It certainly has before, from eliminating polio, to building an interstate highway system, to helping generations of Americans retire with Social Security.

Revolutionizing Public Auditing

GTSC Homeland Security Today

The field of public auditing could undergo a significant transformation as new technologies emerge to reshape how audits are conducted and presented. These innovations are not only increasing transparency but also driving competition, as traditional auditing firms face challenges from non-traditional players. Below, we explore five potential trends poised to redefine the landscape of government audits. 

School Performance and Support Framework

Virginia Department of Education

Virginia’s new accountability system, the School Performance and Support Framework, builds trust among schools, parents, and communities through transparent, easy-to-understand reporting on a school’s performance. 

Resource of the Week: Performance Reader’s Guide, Part 2

Barrett & Greene

New suggestions of books, reports, articles and presentations about performance management come from David Ammons, Maria Aristigueta, Marc Holzer, Michael Jacobson, Andrew Kleine, Aroon P. Manoharan and Robert Shea.