ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Emerging Challenges of Budgeting and Performance

Barrett & Greene (Op-Ed by Don Kettl)

“The fundamental problem is this. We tend to budget by agency and then, typically, by program within the agency. However, the actual implementation of almost every program depends on complex networks involving multiple programs, agencies, levels of government, sectors of society, and even foreign governments.”

Improving Performance of Federal Grants: A HUD Homelessness Case Study

IBM Center for The Business of Government

This report illuminates how to improve data sharing and performance management in intergovernmental programs. The authors share findings from HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) multi-pronged strategies that combine performance measures and capacity building supports to focus grant recipients on achieving national goals. These strategies provide a menu of smart practices that can be used by other federal agencies that administer intergovernmental grants. 

Literature Review of Strategic Planning in Public Organizations

International Public Management Journal (Vandersmissen and George; gated access)

Drawing from a systematic review of 75 studies through a Strategy-as-Practice lens, this paper contributes to public management theory, research, and practice in three significant ways: a literature synthesis, a framework of what works & when, and choices among different approaches. 

On-Line Workshop: Using Digital Skills & Data in Your Work (Tues., Nov 21, 10 a.m. Eastern)

Apolitical

This free online workshop will teach you how to harness the power of digital tools and data analysis to optimise government operations and delivery.

Postal Service Delivery Performance Announcement

U.S. Postal Service

The United States Postal Service reported new delivery performance metrics for the fifth week of the first quarter for fiscal year 2024. The average time for the Postal Service to deliver a mailpiece or package across the nation was 2.5 days.

Setting Sensible KPIs

Stacey Barr’s Blog

Key Performance Indicator target setting is both science and art. Science, in that it has proven and logical steps. Art, in that it needs your own creative input too.

2023 State Standard of Excellence

Results for America

In the 2023 State Standard of Excellence, Results for America identified 194 examples of data-driven and evidence-based practices, policies, programs, and systems in effect as of August 2023 in 46 states across the country.

Resource of the Week: Streamlining the Creation of Data Sharing Agreements

Open Data Policy Lab

Harnessing data from different sources can require forming agreements with outside actors and this process can be complex and time-consuming. This guide will help data stewards operating in the public streamline the creation of data sharing agreements.

Better Federal Contract Data and Performance

Government Executive

The federal government has launched a Better Contracting Initiative centered on a four-prong set of data- and performance-centered buying strategies, envisioning savings of up to $10 billion a year.

Unlocking the Power of Data – Interview with Amy Edwards Holmes

Barrett & Greene

B&G interview Holmes, executive director of the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, to gain insights on her career in government as well as upcoming plans for GovEx work in the coming year.

Launch of UK’s Performance Tracker 2023

Institute for Government

This “Week in Public Services” summarizes a 300-page report describing UK trends in health, education, infrastructure, local authority finances, law enforcement, etc.

Customer Experience Metrics at the Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Data analyzed for the first time by the Veterans Health Affairs’ National Center for Organizational Development shows a positive relationship between improving employee engagement and overall customer experience. This study shows how customer experience can drive trust in government.

Federal Spending Transparency Needs Improved

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Federal agencies must report their spending data on USASpending.gov, but GAO found 49 agencies did not report their data, in part because which agencies are required to report is unclear in the law. GAO recommends the law be clarified.

New On-Line Dashboard in Austin City’s Auditor Office

Barrett & Greene

Many audit shops follow up regularly on the status of their recommendations. However, these are usually found in documents like year-end reports or individual follow-up audits. Austin has created a dashboard that allows stakeholders to see this kind of information, easily and in real time.

A Federal Competency Model for Program Evaluators

Federal News Network

“The [33] competencies identified may be used by agencies in the workforce planning, recruitment, employee selection, training and development and performance management for their program evaluation positions,” Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja said.

States Create “Triple-demic” Dashboards for Flu Season

RouteFifty

To help health care systems and communities prepare for a potential upswing in viral cases, some state health departments are refreshing their respiratory illness dashboards. An upgrade to the COVID dashboards that popped up nationwide during the pandemic, “tripledemic” dashboards track data on COVID, RSV, and flu viruses together. 

Resource of the Week: Using Canva to Create Logic Models and Theory of Change

Fresh Spectrum

A “how to” blog post on using the Canva data visualization software platform to create logic models and a basic theory of change model, along with some starter templates.

Martin O’Malley’s Vision for Social Security Administration

Government Executive

In his Senate nomination hearing to be Commissioner of Social Security, he said: “I believe the top priority is that for as large as Social Security is, there are lagging indicators that are pretty clear that we have to meet . . . . What is not as clear are the measurements on the tactics, strategies and actions that drive you to the lagging indicators.”

Cradle-to-Career Data System

State of California

A statewide data system that will provide tools to help students reach their goals and deliver information on education and workforce outcomes.

Enabling Governments to Address Future Shocks

IBM Center for The Business of Government

This report lays out a roadmap of eight imperatives—a guide that governments at all levels can use to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to shocks of any origin. 

Let’s Talk Performance Webcast: Using Data to Achieve Performance and Equity (58 min.)

National Center for Public Performance

In this YouTube video, T. Michael Stavres, City Manager for the City of Winter Haven, and Dr. Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida ‘s School of Public Affairs, discuss the power of making data-driven decisions in local government with the goals of improving performance and equity.

Baltimore City Recovery Performance Reports

City of Baltimore

The Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs must prepare and submit an annual Recovery Plan to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Recovery Office also submits quarterly reports to the U.S. Treasury. Lastly, each month, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs must prepare and submit a report to the Baltimore City Council 

The Process and Impact of Collaborative Performance Summits

Public Administration Review (un-gated article)

Interactive routines such as collaborative performance summits are thought to help collaborating organizations assess and improve their performance. This study leverages a longitudinal dataset to examine the summit process and identify the difference between summits that have an impact on performance and those that do not.

Using Metrics to Prepare for Crisis

Government Finance Research Center

A research report for the IBM Center of The Business of Government includes a handful of recommendations for states and the federal government to effectively develop measurement tools, and track and integrate spending into annual budget processes, in preparation for future crises.

Resource of the Week:  Baltimore County BCStat Webpage

Baltimore County Government

BCSTAT’s mission is to incorporate data into decision making and apply data-driven analysis to every day operations across County departments.

Summary of White House Evidence Forums

The White House and the Policy Lab at Brown University

This summary provides illustrative guidance on how to get started on such a partnership, this Evidence Forum showcased a variety of successful partnership models and dove into specific areas where researcher help was needed. 

Mid-Atlantic StatNet Meeting – A Decade of Learning Together

Barrett & Greene

Twice a year, county, city, and state performance officers from about 20 jurisdictions across the mid-Atlantic region gather to share similar challenges, experiences, and promising practices through a group called the Mid-Atlantic StatNet, a reference to a popular style of performance management in use across the U.S. since the mid-1990s.

Three Types of Performance Measure Relationships

Stacey Barr’s Blog

By understanding how measures are related to one another, we increase their power to help us understand and diagnose performance, and thus how we can report those measures together to facilitate a more holistic response to performance improvement.

Resource of the Week:  Rethinking Budgeting Initiative

Government Finance Officers Association

GFOA and its partners are working to better understand the municipal budgeting landscape and identify ways local governments can leverage best practices to build a modern, transparent and efficient budget process.  A recent survey helps prioritize areas for action.

Ending Chronic Homelessness in Hennepin County

Governing

Data-driven decisions, support from the state and a dedicated, collaborative team are helping Hennepin County, Minn., get a handle on an intractable problem, with the audacious goal of eliminating chronic homelessness by 2025.

What Can Government Learn from a Baseball Star?

Barrett & Green Report

Baseball, which has long been a sport full of statistics, seemed like the ideal environment for such a movement just as government (which also thrives on data) is a place where metrics can be powerful tools. But beyond the common sense of the issue, there are some, in both government and baseball, who feel this reliance can have some downsides.

Webinar: Let’s Talk Performance (Thur., Oct. 26, 1 p.m. Eastern)

National Center for Public Performance (free)

Learn how local governments can use data effectively to make informed decisions that promote both performance and equity. T. Michael Stavres, City Manager for the City of Winter Haven, Florida, and Dr. Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida ‘s School of Public Affairs will discuss the power of making data-driven decisions in local government with the goals of improving performance and equity.

States Showing the Way on Open Data

Governing

Too often, the data that states collect is inaccessible to those who need it to make decisions about education and careers. It’s encouraging that policymakers are moving toward cross-agency policies that ensure robust data access.

Broadband Infrastructure: Lacking Timely Performance Goals and Targeted Measures

U.S. Government Accountability Office

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration was authorized to set up a $1 billion grant program to improve this infrastructure’s nationwide availability. While NTIA followed some leading practices for the program, it didn’t set measurable goals with specific targets—which would allow NTIA to track the effectiveness of grant funding.

Resource of the Week:  Strategic Foresight Library

LBL Strategies

A set of useful resources gleaning recent work and news related to strategic foresight and scenario-based planning.