ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Performance Management
Management 101: It really does work
Steve Kelman, Federal Computer Week
New research that shows several “best practices” do indeed measurable improve organizational performance.

Analytics/Evaluation
OMB releases DATA Act reminder as 1-year countdown starts
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
One year after OMB laid out guidance on DATA Act compliance, it is reminding agencies what is expected of them as the countdown begins for the law’s complete rollout.
White House recognizing risks of big data
Jason Miller, Federal News Radio
A new report by the federal chief technology officer highlights the power of big data while also emphasizing the need to consider its ethical implications.

Innovation
GSA, Commerce partner on new innovation lab
Billy Mitchell, FedScoop
A new innovation lab in San Francisco will bring together tech teams from academia, private industry and agencies from federal, state and local governments to solve problems facing urban communities.

Presidential Transition
New Approach to Presidential Transition Officially Under Way
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Just ahead of the deadline six months before Election Day, President Obama on Friday signed an executive order establishing the framework for the coming presidential transition.
A quick start for the next administration
Alan Howze, Business of Government
Every President wants to get off to a fast start – but success is challenging —akin to launching a start-up business while simultaneously conducting the largest corporate takeover in the world.
Plan an effective transition for an effective administration
Alan Howze, Business of Government
There is one action that can have more impact than any other –early and effective transition planning.

Analytics/Evaluation
Hundreds of comments shape final Data Act schema
Zach Noble, Federal Computer Week
Treasury has released its finalized playbook, the Data Act Information Model Schema (DAIMS).
4 Reasons Data Analytics Often Fail
Tod Newcombe, Governing
But despite all the successful implementations of analytics, many such projects actually fail.
Determining if your program is having a positive impact (i.e., impact evaluation 101)
Andy Feldman, Gov Innovator Podcast
How can you determine the impact of your program? And which strategies may sound useful but are unlikely to produce accurate answers?

Collaboration
Want to Be A White House Leadership Development Fellow?
Kellie Lunney, Government Executive
The program gives emerging agency leaders an opportunity to spend a year working on cross-agency management priorities and goals identified by the administration.

Customer Service
Delivering citizen services with one weird trick
Zach Noble, Federal Computer Week
Federal website designers might be surprised by what users want once they use analytics to actually measure users’ desires.

Efficiency/Reorganization
How Government Leaders Have Handled Downsizing and Other Big Changes
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Engaging the workforce in every step of the transformation process is critical, says one agency head.

Innovation
GSA wants to create a permanent home for innovation with new third service
Jason Miller, Federal News Radio
GSA Administrator announced the creation of the Technology Transformation Service, which brings together 18F, the Presidential Innovation Fellows program and the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.
GSA unifies tech groups into single service
Adam Mazmanian, Federal Computer Week
The Technology Transformation Service will entrench 18F, which was created in March 2014, as a permanent fixture of the federal bureaucracy.

Presidential Transition
OMB to Agencies: Craft Transition Materials, Not New Budget
Eric Katz, Government Executive
Federal agencies’ budget planners will spend their last months under President Obama preparing for their transition to the next administration rather than crafting funding requests.
5 Things the Next President Must Do Now to Avoid Being a Failed One-Termer
Don Kettl, Government Executive
Government is failing to adapt to the challenges it’s facing.

Performance Management
Performance Management on the Front Line
John Kamensky, Governing
By showing what’s possible, a Tennessee child-services provider has built a national reputation.

Analytics/Evaluation
DATA Act a good thing, but implementation a struggle for some agencies
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
The DATA Act will make it easier for the federal government to prepare for the future and help citizens, but before it can do that, agencies need help in meeting the May 2017 implementation deadline.
Invest in What Works: A Conversation with John Bridgeland and Bruce Reed
Michael Keegan, Business of Government
The Invest in What Works Index describes how federal agencies are increasingly using evidence, data and evaluation to make better decisions and get better results.
Getting to Evidence-Based Policy: Three Perspectives
Bernadette Wright, Stanford Social Innovation Review
Why researchers and practitioners are shifting away from expensive new studies toward the effective synthesis of existing research.

Collaboration
From Stalemate to Solutions
Karen Abrams Gerber and Andrea Jacobs, Stanford Social Innovation Review
By using a dynamic framework for authentic collaboration, we can increase the potential for problem-solving and create long-term, societal level change.

Open Government
What Citizen Engagement Looks Like in the Digital Age: A Conversation with Jason Goldman, White House Chief Digital Officer
Dan Chenok, Business of Government
Jason Goldman, the first Chief Digital Officer of the White House, discussed his office’s online engagement strategy and outreach.

Performance Management
Bad performance metrics revisited
Steve Kelman, Federal Computer Week
What does it take to make sure managers are measuring the right things?

Analytics/Evaluation
Obama Administration’s New Performance Grade: Improved, But Work Remains
Patrick Lester, Government Executive
The Obama administration has made substantial progress in measuring federal program effectiveness, but more needs to be done to shift federal funding to programs that work, according to a recent report.
The Obama Administration’s Self-Proclaimed Legacy in Good Governance
Eric Katz, Government Executive
The OMB Director said the administration’s strategy has been to act on evidence if it already exists, and build evidence when it does not.
Future of DATA Act implementation a ‘mixed picture’
Meredith Somers, Federal News Radio
The future of the DATA Act is getting murkier as the lead agencies behind the implementation struggle to keep deadlines and provide agencies with the guidance they need to adopt the new standards.
Can federal agencies hit their Data Act deadlines?
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
The DATA Act is putting pressure on agencies to get their data in order.
The Complex Challenges of Measuring the Impact of Social Programs
Feather O’Connor Houstoun, Governing
As efforts to evaluate housing programs illustrate, it’s difficult to make precise comparisons. But it’s worth the effort.

Customer Service
Creating Federal Services that Actually Work for People
Mark Fisk, Government Executive
A citizen-centric government experience will become the new normal in today’s digital world.

Efficiency/Reorganization
Senate, House debut GREAT Act to cut federal waste
Carten Cordell, Federal Times
A bipartisan pack of senators and congressmen rolled out new legislation on April 21 in an effort to reduce government waste and duplication.
Benchmarking: A Practical Guide for Federal Agencies
Sukumar Dwarkanath, Government Executive
Streamlining mission-support functions has the potential to transform agency operations.

Leadership
Enhancing Decision-Making: Helping the next administration make smart and timely decisions
Dan Chenok and Alan Howze, Business of Government
Improving decision-making for the next administration – and for the transition team that precedes it – is the subject of a new report.

Performance Management
Getting Real About Performance Management
David Ammons, Public Management
Using performance information to improve services is key.

Analytics/Evaluation
There’s New Hope for Proponents of Evidence-Based Policy
Patrick Lester, Government Executive
A federal commission’s top task may be setting a truly bipartisan agenda.
GAO: Data problems could be costing feds billions
Zach Noble, Federal Computer Week
With billions of dollars on the line, agencies are struggling to streamline their data collection and processing.

Efficiency/Reorganization
Congress Has a Worse Track Record on Following Advice to Cut Waste Than Agencies Themselves
Erik Katz, Government Executive
While agencies have saved $56 billion since 2011 by taking actions recommended by GAO hundreds of recommendations remain unaddressed.

Leadership
Government Gone Agile: How “Agile Management” Can Enhance Agency Success
Dan Chenok and Joiwind Roinen, Business of Government
With the coming change in Administrations, solidifying agile as an effective and go-to approach will help to strengthen the management of programs, both now and in the future.

Risk Management
How the Next Administration Could Substantially Reduce Risk During the Next Crisis
Leon Fuerth, Government Executive
Options for how to integrate strategic foresight and policy.