ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Evidence and Evaluation
Agencies Will Start 2020 With 20 Data Actions to Complete by Year’s End
Aaron Boyd, Nextgov
The administration released the Federal Data Strategy Action Plan for the next year, adding four more action items from the draft released in summer.
FDA’s Data Strategy Modernization Starts With Public Outreach
Aaron Boyd, Nextgov
FDA is overhauling the way it thinks about data and wants to start with feedback from employees and outside experts.
Data Standards for Grants Management Are Now the Law
Jeff Myers, Rujuta Waknis and Jason McGill, Nextgov
Standards will connect currently siloed reporting of incompatible grant data into compatible, open and transparent data that can be understood based on consistently defined data elements.
Federal agencies strive for OPEN Government Data Act compliance – and a Modern Data Experience can deliver
Nick Psaki, Federal News Network
The federal government is making strides with the OPEN Government Data Act, which demonstrates the critical role data plays in future innovation.
2019 in review: A chief data officer in every agency
Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, FedScoop
The signing of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act sent agencies running to find a CDO.

Collaboration
Government information sharing efforts remain a mixed bag
Derek B. Johnson, Federal Computer Week
The rollout of a new tool in 2017 has improved cybersecurity information sharing across the federal government, but other once promising programs are withering on the vine.

Innovation
The New Practice of Public Problem Solving
Tara McGuinness & Anne-Marie Slaughter, Stanford Social Innovation Review
A new class of innovators is advancing the public good by figuring out what people actually need and then testing, improving, and scaling solutions that may already be out there. Here are the four elements of their method.

Management
Federal Agencies Need a New Management Model
Howard Risher, Government Executive
Practices are out of sync with those proven to support successful, high performance work environments.
Navy Launches a New Civilian Human Capital Strategy for First Time in a Decade
Courtney Buble, Government Executive
The goal is to improve hiring, retention and employees’ experiences at work.

Evidence and Evaluation
Data Evangelists Spread the Word on Boosting Government Performance
John Kamensky, Government Executive
A recent gathering of state and local officials had the feel of an old time revival.
Keys to success for a chief data officer: Automation ‘with a purpose’ and willing workforce
Jory Heckman, Federal News Network
The departments of Transportation and Energy have turned to machine learning tools to get a better handle of their data, but officials say those tools will only get them so far.
HUD, USDA throwing a little spaghetti against the wall to see what big data projects stick
Jason Miller, Federal News Network
HUD and USDA are turning to pilots to use data in new ways and gain support throughout the agency.

Management
Feds maintain ‘resilient’ engagement despite the shutdown
Jessie Bur, Federal Times
The federal workforce’s engagement in their jobs dipped only slightly in 2019, despite a record-breaking government shutdown to start out the year, but some agency subcomponents fared worse than others.

Innovation
How open innovation can transform the government technology playing field
Dan Chenok, Federal Computer Week
New entrants bring new applications that add significant value to government data.
Energy wants to open its innovation hub to the public
Dave Nyczepir, FedScoop
Energy hopes to open its Innovation Community Center to external partners in 2020.
Army Applications Laboratory: How problems get solved
Lauren Williams, Federal Computer Week
How the Army connects with nontraditional problem solvers to close capability gaps and drive modernization.
How You Can Get Better at Picking Creative Ideas
Dylan Walsh, Government Executive
A new paper investigates a relatively understudied part of the creative process: the very early stage, when we first generate rough ideas.

Evidence and Evaluation
Evidence-Based Policymaking: Selected Agencies Coordinate Activities, but Could Enhance Collaboration
Government Accountability Office
Agencies can bring multiple sources of information together to determine whether federal programs are working as intended. Collaboration can help ensure that these evidence-building efforts are effective.

Management
Performance Data Has Value Only When It’s Used
Howard Risher, Government Executive
Government employees learn very early there is an unwritten job description that delimits what they are expected to do.

Innovation
Federal CIO: It’s Time for Those Digital Transformations to Scale Up
Brandi Vincent, Nextgov
In 2020, agencies will likely expand some of their new pilots and projects into enterprisewide solutions.
GAO Handbook Helps Answer Whether That New Tech Is Right For Your Agency
Aaron Boyd, Nextgov
The principles in the handbook can be applied to any organization looking at new technologies.

Reorganization/Efficiency
Congress Moves to Block OPM-GSA Merger
Erich Wagner, Nextgov
A provision in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would first require an independent study of the challenges facing the Office of Personnel Management.
Pentagon’s zero-based review has freed $5 billion so far
Scott Maucione, Federal News Network
Defense Secretary Esper says the Pentagon freed up $5 billion over the last four months as part of a review to further align spending with the National Defense Strategy.

Evidence and Evaluation
Laboratories of Democracy in Action: Investing in What Works
John Kamensky, Government Executive
The mere availability of information is not enough to get policy makers to actually use it.
Why a meaningful data strategy requires more than an action plan
Shaun Bierweiler, Federal Times
An independent data strategy cements an agency’s control of its own data indefinitely and provides flexibility, portability and consistency. Here are some pointers.
Do our algorithms have enough oversight?
Lia Russell, Federal Computer Week
Unconscious bias is just one of the unintended consequences complicating government’s use of AI.
Agencies plan for developing data science talent
Lia Russell, Federal Computer Week
The Data Science Training Pilot gives agencies a chance to see the benefits of data science projects while reskilling employees.
Federal data policy council aims to streamline data sharing between agencies
Dave Nyczepir, FedScoop
The council held its first internal meeting about a month before the Federal Data Strategy is expected to be released.

Management
Fed performance reviews will get a revamp
Jessie Bur, Federal Times
The Office of Personnel Management’s changes bring its Performance Appraisal Assessment Tool more in line with the Trump administration’s management objectives.

Reorganization
Watchdog: Proposed OPM-GSA Merger Continues to ‘Evolve’ Despite Lack of Legislation
Erich Wagner, Nextgov
Officials have continued to examine moving portions of OPM to GSA piecemeal, and still lack documentation for the legal authority and cost benefit analyses, the inspector general said.

Evidence and Evaluation
Creating the Foundation for Building an Agency Culture That Values Evidence
Andrew Feldman, Government Executive
6 ideas to focus on what’s doable.
GAO Hires First Data Scientist
Aaron Boyd, Nextgov
The position will lead the watchdog’s new Innovation Lab, soliciting new ideas and using data to help GAO better inform agencies and Congress.
DoD overcoming culture challenges to turn data ‘snapshot’ into predictive analytics
Jory Heckman, Federal News Network
The Trump administration has laid out a roadmap for predictive analytics in government, but to get those plans off the ground agencies need to get a better handle on their data.
Mousetraps for Flawed Data
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, IBM Center for the Business of Government
Signals that can be used to identify when data should be more closely scrutinized before being used to manage and make policy.
Can the federal government be sure its AI isn’t biased?
Andrew Eversden, Federal Times
The White House released a progress report on the federal government’s artificial intelligence research.

Management
New case studies highlight the importance of federal program management
David Summers, Federal Times
How strong project and program management capabilities and practices can improve outcomes and drive effective execution throughout government.
Performance Management: A View from the Front
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, IBM Center for the Business of Government
Six significant trends in performance management.
How to Make Your Performance Review Process Less Painful
Scott Eblin, Government Executive
3 ideas to make the process more meaningful.

Leadership
Federal Agencies Can Succeed at Leadership Development Even Amid Tight Budgets
Bill Valdez, James L. Perry, Jenny Knowles Morrison, and Gordon Abner
Data on the impact of training programs will help make the case for sustained funding.

Customer Service
Paving the way for government to improve the digital customer experience
Santiago Milian, John Gray Parker and Cameron Hanson, Federal Times
As agencies prepare plans to modernize websites, as mandated by the 21st Century IDEA Act, they should remember they are at the beginning, not the end.