ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Analytics/Evaluation
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic with Evidence and Innovation
Andrew Feldman, Richard Frank, and Christopher Spera, Government Executive
How Congress and the Health and Human Services Department can reduce opioid-related deaths.
‘Big challenge’ ahead for procurement, grants reporting under DATA Act
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
It took federal agencies’ four years to go from introduction to implementation of the DATA Act, so what will it take to get 2,300 grant-making programs and 3,200 procurement offices to do the same?

Innovation
Drowning in Data, Cities Turn to ‘Citizen Scientists’
Tod Newcombe, Governing
Governments have more data than they have the manpower to handle. Some recruit volunteers to help analyze it all, but they’re far from being experts in data.

Management
Making Government’s Massive Programs Work: Now It’s the Law
Dan Chenok, Government Executive
Implementing the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act.

Reorganization
Can reorg plans get agencies off the high-risk list?
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
As agencies continue preparations to submit their reorganization plans, many also have to reckon with their places on the Government Accountability Office’s high-risk list.
GAO Chief Dismisses ‘Legend’ that Agencies Can’t Escape High-Risk List
Charles Clark, Government Executive
The effort to gather agency ideas for reorganizing to boost efficiency are “a perfect” opportunity to use GAO’s high-risk list as a tool.

Open Government
‘Imagine Boston 2030’ Dashboard Seeks to Bolster City Government Accountability
Zack Quaintance, Government Technology
Platform condenses 472-page plan into simple progress metrics that cover all of the goals within Boston’s first citywide project in 50 years.

Performance Management
States Add a Human (Services) Touch to ‘Stat’
J.B. Wogan, Governing
Colorado is one of the few governments to employ the data-driven approach in human services. It’s helping the state tackle major problems.

Analytics/Evaluation
The future of prediction in an unpredictable world
Ben Berliner, Federal Computer Week
Agility and prediction are not mutually exclusive in government decision-making, according to a new study.

Collaboration
Bridging Governments’ Borders
Robyn Scott and Lisa Witter, Stanford Social Innovation Review
Connected policy is essential to solve society’s hardest challenges; here’s how to make it happen.

Customer Service
At the Heart of Impact Measurement, Listening to Customers
Tom Adams, Matt Ripley, and Ashley Speyer, Stanford Social Innovation Review
Investors looking for data on social impact should start by helping investees deliver a compelling value proposition.

Innovation
Startup Seeks Cities to Test Bonds that Put a Twist on Pay-for-Success
Ben Miller, Government Technology
Neighborly wants to try a kind of risk-reducing bond to finance infrastructure projects that have an element of uncertainty to them.

Open Government
OMB needs to raise its streamlining game, GAO says
Ben Berliner, Federal Computer Week
GAO finds that the Office of Mangagement and Budget has not been keeping up with reporting requirements.

Reorganization
Former agency execs weigh ‘serious’ reorg recommendations
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
Though agencies’ final reform plans are due to OMB by September as part of the 2019 budget proposal, agencies will still need to think about how they will more specifically address their respective reform plans.
How Trump Can Successfully Reorganize the Government
Eric Katz, Government Executive
To successfully implement its plan to reorganize government, the administration should empower federal leaders and agencies.

Performance Management
GSA Updates Plan for Improving Employees’ Job Performance as Part of Reorg Strategy
Charles Clark, Government Executive
The General Services Administration updated its internal employee performance improvement plan to focus on “linking individual performance to organizational goals, clarifying performance expectations, and providing appropriate and timely recognition of exceptional performance.”
Setting Goals Around Tasks, Not Outcomes, is the Best Way to Improve Performance, a Study Shows
Oliver Staley, Government Executive
A new study suggests three possible reasons why task-based goals could work better than performance goals.
Where High Performance Happens: In the Trenches
Howard Risher, Governing
Public employees know what needs to be done. Managers are the key to a trusting environment that empowers workers.

Open Government
How a Transparent Process Made Federal Spending Transparency Possible
Christina Ho, Rob Cook and Bryce Pippert, Nextgov
Treasury’s charge was to track nearly $4 trillion in annual spending on a quarterly basis and link data from disparate functions and systems—managed by over 100 individual federal agencies—into one common standard.

Reorganization
What’s next for agency reorg plans?
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
As agencies wrap up their reorganization plans, successful reforms will prioritize mission delivery over simply slashing the workforce — but proposed budget cuts and leadership vacancies pose additional challenges.
Agencies pull back curtain for peak at how they tackle reform plans
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
As agencies prepare to submit the final versions of their reform strategies to OMB some of them are showing a few cards around their process and priorities.
Trump Agency Reforms Are Called the Most Exciting Opportunity in Years
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Officials and consultants offer a peek into still-unreleased reorganization plans.
Federal overseers keeping close watch on how agencies engage employees through reorg
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
Workforce watchdogs are offering advice to agencies on how to preserve skillsets and promote personnel practices.

Risk Management
Risk Management Isn’t Just for the Finance Staff
John O’Connor, Government Executive
Operational leaders have an opportunity to align resources against their greatest vulnerabilities.

Analytics
100+ Government  Mechanisms to  Advance the Use of  Data and Evidence  in Policymaking: A Landscape Review
Results for America
This report surveys strategies and mechanisms that governments across the world are using to advance and institutionalize the use of data and evidence in policymaking.
Legislation Makes Data-Driven Decision-Making Part of Indiana’s Cultural Governance Fabric
Eyragon Eidam, Government Technology
New legislation is doing more than outlining the guidelines for state agency data sharing; it’s also strengthening the culture that comes with it.

Collaboration
4 Ways Implementation Support Centers Assist in the Delivery of Evidence-Based Programs
Sarah Dube, Pew Charitable Trusts
A new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts details how some states have created “implementation support centers” to help non-profit service providers and local government with implementing new programs.
What Does the Public Think About Cross-sector Collaboration?
Neil Britto, Stanford Social Innovation Review
Insights gleaned from focus groups exploring the public’s views of cross-sector collaboration can help practitioners better communicate their work.

Innovation
An update on the use of impact bonds around the would: An interview with Emily Gustaffson-Write, Fellow, Center for Universal Education, The Brookings Institution
Andy Feldman, GovInnovator Podcast
Social Impact Bonds or Pay for Success projects draw on private sources of capital to fund preventive services, with governments acting as the outcome funders, paying back the money with a profit if specific targets are met.

Performance Management
Insights from C-Stat in Colorado at year 5: An interview with Reggie Bicha, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Human Services
Andy Feldman, GovInnovator Podcast
The Colorado Department of Human Services recently celebrated five years of C-Stat, its performance management and leadership strategy and one of the leading examples in the U.S. of data-informed decision making in human services.
The Performance Revolution Government Needs
Howard Risher, Government Executive
When the brand of government is unattractive to top talent, it should be a reason for reform.
How Agencies Can Deliver Better Results for Less Money
Thomas Romeo, Government Executive
Contractor compensation should be tied to how well vendors deliver on program outcomes.

Analytics/Evaluation
To fight fraud, follow the data
Ben Berliner, Federal Computer Week
Federal program managers are being urged to use data analytics and information sharing to sniff out fraud, abuse and improper payments.
How Federal Agents Took Down a $1.3 Billion Health Care Fraud Scheme
Frank Konkel, Nextgov
Using sophisticated data analytics, busts are getting bigger.

Open Government
Can Government Earn Citizens’ Trust?
Donald Kettl, Government Executive
Transparency advocates believe openness is essential, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Reorganization
How Quality Data Equips Federal Leaders for OMB’s Reorganization Plans
Christian Hoehner, David Paschane, Kevin Kosar and Eric Hannel, Nextgov
By offering significant political cover, the OMB order creates the ideal environment for proactive leaders to re-examine the fundamentals of our government’s operational capabilities, performance management and outcomes.