ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Performance Management
Memos to the President: How to Run Government Effectively
Paul L. Posner, Janice Lachance, and Donald Kettl, Government Executive
Advice from leading scholars on how to improve government’s ability to deliver on its promises.
OMB Nominee Wants “High-Morale, High-Performance” Federal Workforce
Kellie Lunney, Government Executive
Rep. Mick Mulvaney said he wants to figure out how to better reward top employees and deal with poor performers.
OMB Nominee Would Revive Program Ratings, Fix ‘Broken’ Regulation
Charles Clark, Government Executive
President Trump’s nominee to run OMB expressed enthusiasm for reviving a George W. Bush-era tool for evaluating the effectiveness of federal programs.
Job Performance, Not Tenure, Now Top Consideration for Defense Layoffs
Eric Katz, Government Executive
The Defense Department will lay off civilians primarily on the basis of their performance, according to a new policy, breaking with the rest of federal government that considers tenure foremost.

Analytics/Evaluation
Trump’s Nominee to Lead OMB Wants Better Data
Frank Konkel, Nextgov
Rep. Mick Mulvaney suggested bad data leads to bad policy decisions.
Trump’s pick for OMB sounds enthusiastic about the Data Act
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
Rep. Mick Mulvaney stressed the importance of enforcing the DATA Act to both Senate committees he faced as part of his confirmation to lead OMB.

Innovation
Obama codifies PIF program on last morning in office
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
President Obama signed a bill making the Presidential Innovation Fellows program a permanent fixture of government.

Open Government
How Technology Is Giving Town Hall Meetings a Modern Twist
Adam Stone, Government Technology
Municipalities are using the latest communications tools to make government meetings more available to the public.

Performance Management
Obama’s Management Legacy—It’s Complicated
Kellie Lunney, Government Executive
An ambitious effort to improve and elevate government is a case study in the power of bureaucracy to resist change.

Analytics/Evaluation
DATA Act deadline signals need for upgrades
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
While most CFO Act agencies expect to hit the May deadline of the DATA Act, some agencies will need to change their accounting practices and upgrade their systems.
Sen. Warner calls for ‘deliberate speed’ in agencies’ DATA Act rollout
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is doubling down on his concern over some agencies and their efforts to roll out the DATA Act.

Collaboration
Memo to the President: Getting Public-Private Partnership Right
John Donahue, Government Executive
Management really matters for this high-potential but hazardous approach.
A ‘Whole of Government’ Approach to Social Problems
WIlliam D. Eggers, Governing
The success of an intergovernmental, cross-jurisdictional effort to reduce — and end — homelessness among veterans shows the way.

Innovation
How to foster an innovation culture in government
William Eggers, Federal Computer Week
To close the innovation gap between the public and private sector, governments must become applied learning systems that constantly adapt to change.
Freedom to Fail: 4 Takes on Government Innovation Labs
Tam Harbert, Government Technology
Running an innovation lab in the public sector can be a tricky prospect, here’s how four governments are handling the challenge.

Presidential Transition
What Can Those Involved With The Presidential Transition Learn From Mergers and Acquisitions?
Jeff Merrell, Partnership for Public Service
In just a few days, the Trump administration will assume leadership of a $4 trillion annual enterprise comprised of hundreds of agencies, including seven that, in terms of budget, would rank among the 50 largest companies in the Fortune 500.

Performance Management
Memo to the President: Performance Accountability, Evidence and Improvement
Shelley H. Metzenbaum and Robert Shea, Government Executive
Bipartisan reflections and recommendations for the next administration.
The Tricky Psychology of Holding Government Accountable
Julie Beck, Government Executive
Accountability doesn’t always help people make better decisions. When it comes to elected officials, this gets extra challenging.
The Problem With Evidence-Based Government
Mark Funkhouser, Governing
There’s a big challenge that advocates need to recognize.

Collaboration
Civic Collaboration’s Essential Elements
Otis White, Governing
Governments are good at a lot of things, but innovation isn’t one of them. That’s where partners come in.
Let’s Make a Pact: States Increasingly Problem Solve Together
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, Governing
They often fall under the radar, but compacts are becoming a top tool for managing interstate issues.

Customer Service
How the Trump Administration Could Advance Customer Service
Stephanie Thum, Government Executive
For those who have been working to make government services more citizen-centric, there’s a tremendous opportunity to advance the customer agenda within government and take it to a higher level.

Performance Management
Does Benchmarking Make a Difference?
John Kamensky, Business of Government
Publicly comparing similar activities can be a powerful driver for change.
Finding a Fix for Government Performance
Stewart Liff and Paul Gustavson, Government Executive
The incoming administration should look at time-tested management approaches.

Collaboration
Memo to the President: Collaboration Across Boundaries
Donald Kettl, Government Executive
No significant issue can be addressed solely by an individual government agency.
Memo to the President: Strengthening Partnerships with State and Local Governments
Barry Van Lare, Government Executive
The federal government needs to establish a new paradigm that substitutes collaboration and cooperation for command and control.

Efficiency/Reorganization
GAO analyzes how agencies are doing more with less
Tony Ware, Federal Times
A GAO review of three agencies has provided insight into approaches that can help manage and minimize the effects of shrinking federal resources on services to the public.
Government reform must start at White House
Ed DeSeve, Philadelphia Enquirer
According to the author, the new administration needs to scrutinize federal government programs and regulations to determine what is needed and how to provide service to the American public in the most effective, efficient way.

Innovation
Chief Innovation Officers: An Unclear Role in the Federal Government
Mohana Ravindranath, Nextgov
Today, federal chief innovation officers are significantly less common than the emerging role of chief data officer, and responsibilities associated with the title vary widely between agencies.
The Case Against Federal Chief Innovation Officers
Mohana Ravindranath, Nextgov
Assigning one person to handle all innovation-related programs could unintentionally restrict creative projects to one part of an agency, some analysts say.
White House Leaves Trump a Tech To-Do List
Frank Konkel, Nextgov
The Office of Science and Technology’s exit memo features many recommendations to keep the country’s tech edge.

Analytics/Evaluation
Report: Agencies Still Seek Data “Heroes”
Frank Konkel, Nextgov
Cybersecurity analytics, strategic decision-making and mission intelligence fared better in agencies with Chief Data Officers than non-CDO counterparts.
The Intelligence Data Problem Has Changed
Chris Trainor, Government Executive
The data problem faced by law enforcement and intelligence agency analysts is very different today from what it was in the past.
Cincinnati Uses Visual Dashboards to Demystify Government
Theo Douglas, Government Technology
CincyInsights, a new Cincinnati Web portal with 15 dashboards, uses city data in different ways to make city services more interactive and easy to understand.

Innovation
What will Trump’s innovation policy look like?
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
Although specifics regarding innovation policy under a Trump administration remain unclear, Trump’s campaign promises to create manufacturing jobs for American workers, make better trade deals and increase military spending will likely play out in the technology sector.

Open Government
Obama Administration Urges Trump to Continue Progress on Crowdsourcing
Eric Katz, Government Executive
Citing research and recommendations by the Wilson Center, GSA highlighted work agencies have done with the public at large and said it should be expanded — and built more explicitly into agencies’ missions.
Open Government Act Clears Senate, Cheering Data Advocates
Charles Clark, Government Executive
The push for machine-readable data would empower chief information officers.
How Public Engagement is Evolving
Paul Taylor, Government Technology
The continuum of public engagement is bookended by social media and face-to-face consultations.

Presidential Transition
What the State Department Can Teach Agencies About Preparing New Appointees for the Job
Joseph Gurney, Paul R. Lawrence and Mark A. Abramson, Government Executive
The State Department has long been a leader in providing a variety of onboarding activities for new ambassadors.
Trump’s Unorthodox Transition Leaves Government In Uncharted Territory
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Transition veterans and the array of good-government groups set up to provide guidance during the transition remain officially upbeat about the degree of consultation both before and after the election.
The Enduring Myth That Government Should Be Run Like a Business
Philip Joyce, Governing
The election of Donald Trump should remind us of the vast difference between managing a company and running a government.