Weekly Round-Up: September 30 - October 3, 2014

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 14:54

John Kamensky Next Steps on Implementing the DATA Act. Over the past week, there were a series of events around the implementation of the DATA Act. Jason Miller, Federal News Radio, says a joint Treasury-OMB townhall focused on the usability of the new data to be collected, by creating a clear map and navigation of the soon-to-be revamped (again) USASpending.gov website. Adam Mazmanian, Federal Computer Week, notes “OMB is leading the charge to develop data definition standards, one of the biggest challenges of the implementation process.

Making Data Real – Weekly Insights

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 14:52

Brian Murrow, an expert on strategy and analytics at IBM, participated in interviews conducted by the Partnership for Public Service as they prepared a series of podcast conversations with pioneers in the use of analytics in the federal government. In a series of guest blog posts over the next few weeks, Brian will share his key takeaways from these interviews. You can also listen to the full interviews yourself if you find yourself wanting to know more.

Lisa Danzig, OMB: Conversations on Using Analytics to Improve Mission Outcomes

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 14:50

Previous to her experience with OMB, Ms. Danzig worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and helped develop and lead its acclaimed HUDStat program. Prior to that, she led strategic planning for New York City’s housing programs. She has an MBA and is a former community organizer. She shares her four top tips on creating and using analytics, based on her combined experiences on data and analytics. They include: Tip 1: Choose Smart Goals. Performance management requires a commitment to the continuous improvement of best practices.

Why Isn't Performance Information Being Used?

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 14:49

The initial premise twenty years ago was that if performance information was made readily available, it would be used by agency decision-makers.  That turned out to not be true.  

Background.  A recent GAO study conclude that the “use of performance information has not changed significantly” in surveys of federal managers between 2007 and 2013.  More specifically:

Weekly Round-Up: October 6-10, 2014

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 13:56

John Kamensky The Focus of Defense Acquisition Reform? Katherine McIntire Peters, Government Executive, writes that a Senate investigation staff report about problems with defense acquisition programs found the key problem is – the acquisition workforce itself. She writes: Without better training and recruiting of the men and women who manage large weapons contracts, and more effective incentives to reward smart decision-making, the department may be doomed to continue spending too much money for too little return.” DHS Acquisition Reform.

Malcolm Bertoni, FDA: Conversations on Using Analytics to Improve Mission Outcomes

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 13:54

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faced a mountain of criticism. It was thought that the public health safety precautions built into its drug evaluation procedures in reaction to the Thalidomide tragedy two decades earlier were responsible for delaying consumers’ access to vital new drug therapies. Particularly in light of the growing activism around fighting AIDS, critics argued that the FDA procedures were born out of disaster and therefore extremely overcautious.

Weekly Round-Up: October 13-17, 2014

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 13:50

John Kamensky Series of Articles on Procurement Reform. Federal News Radio asks: “Is it time for fresh procurement reform or just a rereading of existing law?” And its staff has responded with over a dozen stories over the course of the week, covering more discrete topics such as a 20-year timeline of reforms, pointers on program management, the importance of leadership and organizational culture, and more. A great collection, worth the time of anyone trying to understand the breadth of issues involved. Cathleen Garman, Designated Expert.

Is Recovery Act a Model for Ebola?

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 13:47

Little did I realize that the future would come so quickly, with President Obama’s announcement that he was appointing Ron Klain as the Ebola Czar! Klain, who was chief of staff for both vice president Al Gore and Joe Biden, was a key player in the implementation of the Recovery Act.

The forum on the Recovery Act, Five Years Later was kicked off by Klain’s former point person, Ed DeSeve, who in 2009 and 2010 led the day-to-day efforts to coordinate the oversight of $787 billion in spending across 26 major federal agencies via more than 200 programs.

Carter Hewgley, FEMA: Conversations on Using Analytics to Improve Mission Outcomes

Submitted by on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 13:44

When Carter Hewgley joined FEMA in 2011, the organization was focused on two things, the timely delivery of services and the processes required to collect and organize all the resources to support those services. FEMA was a “disaster-driven” organization, more focused on responding to the next emergency, rather than reviewing the lessons learned from a previous emergency. Although there were “analytical cells” across the agency and programs, enterprise-level analytical capability was still at its infancy.

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