ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Analytics/Evaluation
When Solid Data Isn’t Enough
John Kamensky, Government Executive
It takes more than accurate information to bridge the gap between evidence and policy.
Defining Evidence Down
Patrick Lester, Stanford Social Innovation Review
With evidence-based policy, we need to acknowledge that some evidence is more valid than others. Pretending all evidence is equal will only preserve the status quo.

Innovation
Bill would codify Presidential Innovation Fellows program
Sean Lyngaas, Federal Computer Week
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has introduced a bill to make the Presidential Innovation Fellows program permanent.

Leadership
Workforce management advice for the next administration
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
The National Academy of Public Administration wants to see more workforce accountability and bottom-up feedback from the next administration.

Presidential Transition
Striving for Excellence in Federal Management
David Chu and G. Edward DeSeve, Government Executive
When an administration prioritizes good management, government is capable of great things.

Analytics/Evaluation
Transforming Federal grant programs into engines of evidence-based policy and innovation: An interview with Robert Gordon
Andy Feldman, GovInnovator
How can the Federal government encourage more evidence-based policy and innovation through the grant making process?
Tech in the service of performance measurement
Steve Kelman, Federal Computer Week
Kelman reports on innovations at DHS that could help analysts across government.

Innovation
Clinton tech agenda bakes in innovation teams
Adam Mazmanian, Federal Computer Week
Hillary Clinton’s newly released technology agenda calls for retaining the U.S. Digital Service and other innovation groups to improve government services.

Presidential Transition
Nominee for OMB Deputy Slot Promises Focus on the Presidential Transition
Charles Clark, Government Executive
If confirmed for the final six months of the Obama administration, deputy management director nominee Andrew Mayock would focus on ensuring a smooth presidential transition.

Risk Management
Can We Predict the Future More Accurately?
John Kamensky, Business of Government
Is there a science behind predicting uncertain events in the future, or is it intuitive?

Performance Management
How Some Agencies Are Escaping GAO’s High-Risk List
Charles Clark, Government Executive
Sen. Carper holds unofficial “roundtable” to showcase efforts at FDA, DHS, Defense and NASA.
Failure-Proofing Government
John Bernard, Governing
Comprehensive performance management is the key for the long term. But for the short term, there’s nothing wrong with a Band-Aid.

Customer Service
Successful Government Leaders Adopt Design-Focused, User-Centric Way of Working
Jessica Mulholland, Government Technology
In business and increasingly in government, there’s a growing realization of the importance of design in everything from customer experiences to societal problem solving.

Innovation
Sweat the Small Stuff
Brian Elms, Governing
At Denver’s innovative Peak Academy management program, there’s a big focus on celebrating small-scale wins.

Leadership
Senior Executive Service Faces ‘Pivotal Moment’ on Cusp of Next Administration
Kellie Lunney, Government Executive
Report details some agencies’ efforts to infuse new life into the aging elite career corps.

Performance Management
The Real Problem With Inflated Performance Evaluations
Howard Risher, Government Executive
For government, there is a very real question about the value of requiring annual ratings.
Are 99 percent of feds actually successful at their jobs?
David Thornton, Federal News Radio
Either federal employees are successful at their jobs 99 percent of the time, or the ratings systems used by federal agencies to measure their performance are flawed.
Outcomes Matter More Than Ever in Services Contracting
Tim Cooke, Government Executive
Performance-based acquisition is central to defense and civilian agency initiatives to improve the outcomes of the 63 percent of federal procurement spending that goes to acquire services.

Analytics/Evaluation
Republicans Deploy an Old Tool in Combating Poverty: Evidence
Patrick Lester, Government Executive
The GOP is turning to evidence-based policy to address a host of challenges, but lawmakers in both parties have a long track record of politicizing outcomes.
The Hill, Feds Can Learn Lessons from States About Using Data to Inform Policy
Ingrid Schroeder, The Hill
Many states have developed innovative approaches for using data to inform policy, approaches that federal decision-makers can learn from and emulate.

Innovation
Digital Government and the Virtues of Simplicity
William Eggers, Governing
The face government presents to the public is far too complex. If the public sector isn’t to become increasingly irrelevant, that has to change.

Performance Management
Implementing Performance Measurement Initiatives In Government
Prajapati Trivedi, Business of Government
The author, who was responsible for the design and implementation of the government of India’s performance monitoring and evaluation system, offers lessons learned from his experience about not only what governments need to do but also what they must not do.
Plan to Improve Government Performance Would Actually Undercut Progress
Donald Moynihan, Government Executive
The author argues that Congress should commit to the system in place, rather than burden agencies with a duplicative set of reporting mandates.

Collaboration
Are agencies collaborating with each other more than they used to?
Steve Kelman, Federal Computer Week
Kelman reflects on how the perception of collaboration across federal agencies has evolved over time.

Customer Service
99 percent satisfaction at TSA? Congressman questions agencies’ customer service data
Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Radio
Agencies are too selective about what they choose to include — and omit — in their quarterly customer service reports. Rep. Henry Cuellar wants agencies to start holding themselves to higher performance standards, preferably measures they don’t create for themselves.

Innovation
Using Design Thinking to Make a Difference
John Kamensky, Business of Government
The corporate world is all abuzz with “design thinking” – where services are organized around a customer’s needs. In the federal government, US Digital Services teams are fanning out across the government to promote the concept as well.
Why Didn’t E-Gov Live Up to Its Promise?
William Eggers, Nextgov
Technology was supposed to transform government 15 years ago; an “era of electronic government” was poised to make government faster, smaller, digitized and increasingly transparent.
Getting government to go digital
Chase Gunter, Federal Computer Week
A new book from William Eggers details the necessary steps for applying new technologies to the government’s processes and procedures.

Presidential Transition
White House Steps Up Presidential Transition Planning
Charles Clark, Government Executive
As required in the presidential transition law enacted in March, the White House in June has begun meeting with designated agency officers to accelerate preparations for the handoff to the next administration.