ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Government Reimagined: An Interview with Michael Jacobson

Performance Magazine, KPI Institute 

King County, WA, director of performance and strategy, Michael Jacobson, is interviewed in the cover story for this issue of Performance Magazine about his views on strategy, performance management, and organizational culture – starting on p. 25.

Two Years of PMA: Top Achievements

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

It’s been two years since the launch of the Biden-Harris President’s Management Agenda. To celebrate this milestone, the Performance.gov team reflects on five PMA accomplishments of 2023. 

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting in a Politicized Environment: The Case of HUD, USICH, and Homelessness

International Journal of Public Administration (Ungated)

This study by Woody Stanley analyzes the hierarchy of goals and objectives that were adopted to reduce homelessness in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) strategic plans during three successive presidential administrations after passage of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. An interesting time series showing how changing political leadership affects long-standing challenges.

Top 23 Visualization Graphics for 2023

Visual Capitalist

Here’s a fascinating and innovative set of graphics showing different and interesting ways to display data.

Resource of the Week: “Transforming India” Performance Dashboard

Government of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a performance dashboard of “flagship” government initiatives that claims to provide “real time” performance data. Maybe not exactly real-time but it is still pretty impressive.

‘Twas the Night of Great Foresight

Balanced Scorecard Institute

‘Twas the night of great foresight, when all through the land,
Not a creature was stirring, but their plans were all grand.
Strategies were hung by the whiteboard with care,
In hopes that scenario planning soon would be there. . . . “

How Legislators Define “Research Evidence”

Evidence & Policy Journal

Researcher Elizabeth Day and her colleagues asked legislators directly, ‘How do you define research evidence?’ They interviewed legislators from Indiana and Wisconsin who had been nominated by their colleagues as exemplary users of research in policy – and they found legislators made a distinction between “research” and “data.”

Using Metrics to Drive Process Improvement

5280 LifeSciences Consulting

A how-to blog series: By tracking metrics, organizations can identify areas that require improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance their processes.

What’s in a Performance Number? How Do We Use It?

Government Outcomes Lab (Video/Podcast)

A recorded discussion between UK practitioners and academics on uses of performance data and how different audiences interpret these data. This effort is part of INDIGO, an international network on the use of data and social impact bonds to improve government outcomes.

Resource of the Week: Infographic on Results for the Government of Canada

GC InfoBase

Provides an overview of Canada’s performance and results framework with links to departmental-level results reports, a governmentwide program inventory, and five years of summary data on departmental performance.

New Federal Agency Priority Goals for FY 2024-2025

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Newly-released FY 2024-25 Agency Priority Goals span across the Federal Government and ties into several of the Biden-Harris Administration’s long-term priorities. Some represent joint efforts across agencies, and many continue efforts from the previous two-year goals with powerful new quantitative targets.

Refreshed PMA Website

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

In addition to updating Agency Priority Goals, the governmentwide performance.gov website underwent a refresh with a new look and greater interactivity (e.g., ability to sort strategic goals by agency and by topic), it also showcases new quarterly updates on the governmentwide President’s Management Agenda.

Louisville’s Real-Time Gun Violence Dashboard

SpectrumNews 1

Certain crime data are now more accessible in Louisville, KY. Louisville Metro Government unveiled an online gun violence dashboard that tracks homicides and non-fatal shootings dating back to 2010. Along with historical data, the dashboard is updated as new crimes happen. 

Data Literacy: The Drive to Educate the Public Sector Workforce

RouteFifty

Understanding the power of data is not just with your data analytics people. “Everybody has to understand, at some level, the importance of data,” says Rita Reynolds, chief information officer for the National Association of Counties.

OMB Adds Metrics to Digital Experience Oversight

Government Executive

In September, the Office of Management and Budget released long-awaited 21st Century IDEA Act guidance on digital experience with requirements around accessibility, branding content and more. Now, it’s piloting new analytics it says will help it measure and advance progress across agencies over time. 

Resource of the Week: Translating Theory into Practice: Toolkits to Inform, Inspire, and Influence Policy

UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

This blog series explores a typology of some of the key functions of policy toolkits, ranging from “systematization” and “collation,” through to “exemplification” and “education.” Lots of links and examples are included.

Data-Driven Decision-Making Is Key to Better Customer Service in Government

Federal News Network

The Biden administration, in its push to improve customer experiences across government, is using data to pinpoint where those services aren’t meeting expectations.

OMB’s Joint Review Meetings Improve Performance

Federal News Network

Over the last two years, the Office of Management and Budget held about 60 joint review meetings with agencies, starting as a pilot with the American Rescue Plan Act and then expanding and institutionalizing them for other laws like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and several others. The lessons learned and best practices that come from the meetings aren’t just limited to that one agency or program.

Webinar: Performance Management Lessons from Mesa, AZ (Thur, Dec. 7, noon Eastern)

National Academy of Public Administration

Public officials from Mesa, Arizona, will talk about how their city is learning to manage performance to engage and help its elected executives, legislators, appointed managers, and career officials realize better community outcomes and government quality. 

How Foresight Thinking Helps Cities Get Ahead

Bloomberg Cities

 Local leaders are finding ways to broaden their focus—beyond the management of day-to-day and medium-term priorities—to include time to anticipate and plan for long-term challenges and opportunities before they materialize. This involves three key steps.

Resource of the Week: States & Localities Making an Impact

GovLoop

Download this new Carahsoft-sponsored guide to explore nine examples of state and local agencies making a significant service impact to see how you can, too.

Aggregate to Communicate, Disaggregate to Manage

Barrett & Greene

Aggregate statistics may be useful as a way to communicate overall trends, but performance information is particularly useful to mangers when disaggregated – by demographics, education levels, income, or location.

Webinar: Rethinking Public Administration (Wed., Dec. 6, 1 p.m. Eastern)

National Center for Public Performance (Free)

Dr. Marc Holzer will discuss his new book, “Rethinking Public Administration” and the role of performance measurement in ensuring that the public sector can rebuild its trust with stakeholders. He will be joined by Richard Greene and Katherine Barrett in a conversation about specific approaches such as performance leadership, performance reporting, stakeholder engagement, and “businesslike” government. 

Interpreting Performance Information

Public Administration

Despite a growing number of studies on how prior beliefs distort citizens’ interpretation of performance information for service providers, little is known about whether prior beliefs matter equally across different services and types of providers. According to this study, it does.

Evidence-Based Pre-Trial System Reform: A Case Study

Arnold Ventures

In 2018, Cass county, IN, launched Cass County Court and Pretrial Services (CCCPS) and shifted to using evidence-based pretrial practices, including voluntary referrals to supportive services, reduced reliance on monetary bonds as a release condition, and a pretrial assessment tool to inform decision making. It made a difference in overall performance.

A Recipe to Write a Measurable Goal

Stacey Barr’s YouTube Channel

How we write our goals or objectives has a fundamental effect on how easy it will be to measure, how meaningful the measure will be, and ultimately how likely the goal will be achieved. If you don’t have meaningful measures, then you probably need to revisit how you’ve written your goals. This recipe will help.

Resource of the Week: Explore the Federal Government’s Strategic Portfolio

U.S. Office of Management & Budget

Here’s an interactive, visual tool to explore federal agencies’ 98 strategic goals, 351 strategic objectives and 90 agency-level priority goals to see how they interrelate by policy areas or agencies.