ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

It’s a Wrap: End-of-Cycle Performance Status

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

The performance.gov website has posted a wrap up of the progress made by agencies toward their FY2022-23 Agency Priority Goals. A blog post highlights some accomplishments and provides links to details to progress on all 85 APGs.

Recognized for Excellence in Using Data to Improve

City of Alexandria, VA

Bloomberg Philanthropy’s What Works Cities initiative recognized Alexandria as one of the 12 new cities to receive recognition for using data to inform decisions. Alexandria’s Silver Certification highlights examples such as eviction prevention, using trained teams to divert 911 calls from resulting in legal action, and creating an equity index map.

Resource of the Week:  Visualization 101: Choosing the Best Type

Towards Data Science

Here’s a nifty guide for different visualization use cases (hint: context is the starting point).

When It Comes to Data, Context Is King

Barrett & Greene

Simply showing information one or two years back can have the perverse effect of misleading people when the most recent historical data was misleading.

Webinar: Finding Data to Drive Improved Performance (Jan 24, 8 a.m. Eastern)

Association of Government Accountants      

While awash in data, clear insights helping government and those it funds improve performance and efficiency are hard to come by. That’s why investment in data infrastructure at every level – federal, state, and local – benefits everyone up and down the federal financial assistance funding chain. 

Progress and Promise: Evidence Act and Chief Data Officers

Ted Kaouk, LinkedIn

Last week, I closed out my term as Chair of the [federal Chief Data Officers] council and wanted to take this opportunity to share a review of the progress we’ve made.

 State and Local Learning Agenda: Blueprint for Strategies to Reduce Poverty

J-PAL North America

Drawing on conversations with 20 state and local governments and 25 J-PAL affiliated researchers as well as 137 research proposals submitted over the past five years, this report lays out key areas where new or additional research is best positioned to address barriers to mobility from poverty.

Resource of the Week:  Harnessing the Power of Data Sharing Agreements

Open Data Policy Lab

Data collaborations can be critical in harnessing the kinds of data needed to develop insights that can inform impactful decisions. Here are three documents that seek to help data stewards in the public and private sector address common barriers to forming a data sharing agreement.

Webinar: Examining the Impact & Path Forward for the Evidence Act (Wed., Jan. 17, 1 p.m. Eastern)

Data Foundation and others

This special virtual event will preview a forthcoming white paper from the Data Foundation examining the Evidence Act’s tangible impact in the United States on policymaking, evidence-building capacity, data infrastructure, privacy protections, and more.

Vermont Releases Accountability & Performance Report

Barrett & Greene

The state has released its report and recommendations on accountability and performance. Attention to performance management is not new in Vermont. In 2014, the legislature passed Act 186, known as the “Outcomes Bill”, which resulted in an annual report of outcomes for Vermont residents, tied to population-level information.

Federal Agencies Release Refreshed Priority Performance Goals

IBM Center for The Business of Government

So far, 74 agency priority goals have been posted on performance.gov. Of these, some agencies have noted that the wording of their specific goals are still forthcoming. There were 85 agency priority goals in the previous two-year cycle.

Making Measurement Meaningful

Stacey Barr’s Blog

Here’s a link to a white paper: “We can build a meaningful measurement approach through stages. Each stage takes on a common struggle and replaces its root cause with measurement practices that work.”

Impact of Evidence Act: 5 Years of Progress

Data Foundation

Signed into law by a Republican President, passed through a Democratic Senate, championed by a Republican House Speaker, and based on bipartisan commission recommendations, the Evidence Act is quietly revolutionizing how the U.S. government operates.  In just five years, we are seeing major, positive shifts.

Resource of the Week:  Intro to Measurement and Indicators

J-PAL North America

The goal of measurement is to get reliable data with which to answer research questions and assess theories of change. Inaccurate measurement can lead to unreliable data, from which it is difficult to draw valid conclusions. This resource covers key measurement concepts, means of data collection, from whom data should be collected, and common sources of measurement error. 

Beyond Dashboards – Creating Useful Policy Steering Rooms

Apolitical

During intense crises, governments use control rooms to help them make sense of information and guide decisions. But what might the equivalent be for slower crises, and the normal work of government? Could physical places be designed that would support better decision-making?

The Art of Delivery

UK.gov Blog (Michelle Clement)

This blog post examines the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit 2001 to 2005, which was created during Tony Blair’s premiership. The Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit acted as a nexus of power between No.10 and Whitehall. (Book due out later this year).

Mission, Vision, and Values Are Not Enough

Harvard Business Review

Organizations need to develop strong guiding principles that go beyond generic mission statements and values, the authors argue. Well-articulated principles can provide direction for difficult decisions, especially in times of disruption.

Employees Need Drastic Reskilling to Deal with Generative AI’s Data Needs

RouteFifty
Data analysts are just one part of the picture, observers said. Governments will also need data architects and business analysts, as well as ethicists to help with its responsible use.

Webinar: Five-Year Anniversary of Passage of Evidence Act (Wed., Jan 31, 1 p.m. Eastern)

Data Foundation

The event will feature the release of a new report by Harvard University Assistant Professor Dr. Christina Ciocca Eller on federal evidence-based policymaking efforts. In addition, we will celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the Evidence Act and hear from the authors of this landmark legislation, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). We also will hear from Shalanda Young, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and other federal leaders about how they are using evidence and data to improve outcomes and scale solutions that work.

Resource of the Week:  “Let’s Talk Performance” Webinars now on Spotify!

National Center for Public Performance

You can now listen to NCPP’s Let’s Talk Performance webinars on your way to work through Spotify! Join us as we engage with experts, explore insightful research, and dive into thought-provoking discussions on enhancing public performance.

Strategic Planning in the Arts

Performance.gov

The National Endowment of the Arts used active engagement at the very beginning of their strategic planning process. They started with a blank canvas. Before they wrote a word of their strategic plan, they went to their staff – people who care deeply about the arts — and those they serve. 

What HUD’s Homeless Count Misses

Government Executive

Rather than relying on a single metric, communities need to develop a data infrastructure they can use to track, reduce and end homelessness.

Resource of the Week: Project Evident

This nonprofit is committed to building and using evidence in innovative and equitable ways. “When practitioners are empowered with actionable data and evidence, we can create stronger, more meaningful, more equitable outcomes for communities.”