Davenport: Make Better Decisions

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:17

Noted business author Tom Davenport has an article, “Make Better Decisions,” in the November issue of Harvard Business Review . He describes the prevalence, in the business world, of what he calls “decision-making disorder,” but this also has real applicability to government.

On-Line Town Halls

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:15

This past summer the spectacle of unruly congressional town hall meetings on health care reform played across the media.

New Senate Task Force on Performance

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:13

The Senate Budget Committee has created a new Task Force on Government Performance, according to a press release issued this morning. To be led by Senator Mark Warner, the task force “will examine the federal government’s management framework and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and services.”

OMB: A Change in Tone

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:12

WFED’s Jason Miller reports that the Office of Management and Budget wants to change its stripes and “move away from command and control toward a focus on collaboration.”

Governing by Suggestion Box

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:10

The Obama Administration is stepping up its efforts to solicit ideas from employees. In its first big effort, the SAVE Award (Securing Americans Value and Efficiency), the Office of Management and Budget encouraged employees to submit cost savings ideas. As of the end of the 6-week long contest period, OMB said it had received 38,400 ideas.

Dealing with Poor Performers

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:09

The issue of poor performers is a perennial topic. This topic seems to continually top the list of issues the President’s Management Council – comprised of deputy secretaries – wants to address by streamlining the rules. But a new report by the Merit Systems Protection Board concludes that it is not the rules, but the managers, who are the problem.

Risky Business

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:07

Recovery Act guidance from OMB requires agencies to identify the risk associated with each program and develop a plan of action to reduce such risks. After all, if a program gets 3,100 % increase in funding, like the home weatherization program did, there must be some risk involved!

Bottom-up Procurement Reform

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:06

There has been flood of memos and guidance on procurement reform coming out of the White House and OMB in recent months. But an open call for ideas was launched earlier this month via a collaborative project being undertaken by the General Service Administration, the National Academy of Public Administration, and a joint government/industry group called the American Council for Technology/Industry Advisory Council.

The Insourcer's Apprentice

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:04

Jeff Liebman is the Obama Administration’s point person for its efforts to cut service contract spending by 7 percent – about $40 billion a year – in part by insourcing work that has been outsourced to conractors, according to Federal Times’ Elise Castelli. Liebman is an executive associate director at the Office of Management and Budget.

New OMB Program Evaluation Guidance

Submitted by on Wed, 12/20/2017 - 09:03

The Office of Management and Budget released new guidelines to agencies to increase their emphasis on conducting program evaluations. According to the Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe in his article, “OMB Wants More Data on Government’s Performance,” OMB’s Jeff Zients told him: “We’re working to create a system that’s actually used by senior decision-makers.”

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