Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) chaired a joint hearing on the implementation of the GPRA Modernization Act and he seemed to enjoy himself. In fact, after the hearing he lingered a long time talking with hearing participants, almost being the last to leave the room! What sparked his imagination? Here’s a link to the hearing record.Read… Read more »
Customer service is about to become an annual performance goal for each federal department. First, there was last week’s presidential order on customer service. Then the Office of Management and Budget began pushing along compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010, which calls for agencies to measure customer service.Read… Read more »
It’s not always good news when OMB releases guidance to agencies late on a Friday afternoon. But in this case, it was certainly welcome news! On schedule, OMB issued a memo to agencies providing FAQs and a template on how to comply with President Obama’s February directive to agencies to loosen up a bit. PresidentRead… Read more »
By now you’ve probably heard the April 27 announcement from the Office of Management and Budget: The federal government it shuttering 137 data centers by Dec. 31. What you may not have seen is how the data center closures affect agencies and states. Below you can view my graphic interpretations of the OMB-provided information. IRead… Read more »
What if the President and Congress made spending decisions based on what they wanted to achieve rather than on individual agencies and programs? That’s the premise of portfolio budgeting. Has its time arrived or is it still . . . A Pipe Dream? Maybe, but it is actually being done by other countries, such asRead… Read more »
GAO revisited a report it did in 2004 on creating a comprehensive indicator system to track the progress of our nation’s economy, people’s health, social well-being, and the environment. GAO looks at 20 different system used by other countries and by states and localities and offers a road map on how to develop a nationalRead… Read more »
After averting a government shutdown one hour before the deadline, Open Government has more of a platform to thrive and become a business solution to Government like never before. Using our new parody, and following the theme of Gilligan’s Island, after nearly averting a “ship wreck”, (Government shutdown), Open Government has potentially become the newRead… Read more »
When I worked for Vice President Gore’s reinventing government initiative, he told us “don’t move the boxes, fix what’s inside the boxes.” He also talked expansively about creating “virtual agencies” organized around the needs of each individual citizen. We had no idea what he was talking about when he was describing the Virtual Department ofRead… Read more »
On March 30, 2011 at the Federal Plaza building in New York approximately 250 small businesses, lenders, and SBA resource partners listened to representatives from the White House, SBA headquarters, region, and district leadership present vital information for small businesses. The all day session also provided over 2 hours for small businesses to provide input,Read… Read more »
George Washington University professor Kathy Newcomer likened the Obama Administration’s performance agenda to a game of “Where is Waldo?” at a Brookings Institution forum last week on improving government performance. She says “you have to look carefully” to find it. She said there was no orchestrated campaign with a band leading the way. Newcomer’s insightRead… Read more »