Transitions In Governance

The Government Performance Coalition, a group comprised of over a dozen organizations, made suggestions for Obama’s Transition Teams to promote implementing a performance-based framework for the executive branch. Jon Desenberg, Senior Policy Director at The Performance Institute, says, “There’s no other group in town that has such a depth and reach of experience and exposure to what’s happening.” Other recommendations included investing in federal human resources and using technology and innovation to help government progress.

To read more go to: http://www.govexec.com

The OMB requested the AGA evaluate the pilot program they started as an alternative to the Federal Performance and Accountability Reports (PAR). Many agencies have complained that the PAR is too lengthy and wanted a way to report their financial data in a more concise form.
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The Department of the Interior’s top lawyer has moved to shift several key positions from appointments to civil service. Other departments, such as Labor and Housing and Urban Development have similar plans underway. This act ensures jobs for many former Bush appointees and will deprive Obama of the ability to name his own appointees to these positions.
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Last week President-elect Barack Obama announced he would be using online video as a platform for his weekly addresses to the nation. At first I thought he would use his own websites www.change.gov or www.whitehouse.gov, to share the videos; however I learned that Obama has decided to use YouTube as the official distributor of his weekly address. His reason in choosing YouTube was to make government more transparent and to modernize.
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Before the ballots were finished being counted (and when the thought of pregnant chads still loomed over our heads), there was endless speculation over who President-elect Obama would appoint to several key senior cabinet positions.

The ultimate decision of who he appoints will be President Obama’s to make, but there are an endless amount of people, organizations and agencies with their own opinions on who the new leaders should be and what the important issues are.
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Key Points:

• Update transition teams on current priorities
• Careerists’ expertise can prevent agencies from dropping the ball
• New program goals will impact individual performance plans

Feds: Use transition to make case for staff, performance

By Melissa Turley, cyberFEDS® Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Many federal employees are engaged in projects spearheaded by Bush administration leaders.

But that does not mean civil servants can drag their feet over the next few months as President-elect Barack Obama gets his team in place and forms his policy agenda.

“We work for the president,” Jon Desenberg, senior policy director for the Performance Institute and a former General Services Administration policy analyst, told cyberFEDS®. “But our customer is the American people. That’s how you stay engaged in work.” (more…)

Changes to the PMA are coming, but core areas will most likely stay the same. As Jon Desenberg, Senior Policy Director of The Performance Institute states, “We expect the agenda to be more similar than it would be different.” However two PMA objectives, performance improvement and commercial services management will go through the most changes. Obama has committed to reconstructing PART, and come up with a new and innovative way to look at government performance.

Read More Here: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41353&dcn=e_gvet

Career employees are preparing for the transition, and getting ready to integrate the new appointees into their agency. Alan Balutis, former federal executive, in the fourth installment of a four-part series on preparing for the presidential transition, offers five tips to prepare for the transition:
1. Ask Questions
2. Prepare Your Answers
3. Do Your Homework
4. Relax
5. Remember Your Family Matters Most

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41341&dcn=todaysnews

To deal with the incoming administration we must know what political appointees and career managers are thinking. How to coordinate with White House police, determining who and how to get things done and policy alignment are some of the topics being discussed as the new administration transitions.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41286&dcn=e_gvet

Before the ballots were finished being counted (and when the thought of pregnant chads still loomed over our heads), there was endless speculation over who President-elect Obama would appoint to several key senior cabinet positions.

The ultimate decision of who he appoints will be President Obama’s to make, but there are an endless amount of people, organizations and agencies with their own opinions on who the new leaders should be and what the important issues are.
(more…)

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his transition team of advisors. The three co-chairs are John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, Valarie Jarrett, a senior Obama campaign advisor and Pete Rouse, Obama’s campaign chief of staff. The quick creation of a this team is very promising and should allow for a smooth transition for the Obama-Biden Administration.

http://www.govexec.com

Despite polling, the election isn’t over yet. Do you know where the candidates stand on program management? Transparency? Workforce? Obama’s focus on transparency in the program assessment process should be applauded, but what does he mean by fundamentally reconfiguring PART? McCain’s ideal of freezing discretionary spending to perform comprehensive program evaluations sounds good, but what are the standards for measurement? See where the candidates stand on these issues, plus Green Government, Contracting and More:

http://www.governmentexecutive.com

The reviews are in and PART has gotten some mixed feedback, some critics say that PART’s scope is too narrow and certain outcomes are difficult to measure. However, others argue that since PART 50% of agencies are rated as “effective” as opposed to the 6% in 2002.
Read the article

When embracing new employees with the next transition, there are a few tips that federal employees have to make the change easier for everyone. Applying a positive attitude and really listening is a key factor in making the transition go smoothly. At avoiding jargon and making sure the newcomers are introduced to any acronyms that are used within the agency has proven to be beneficial to ensure a clear wave of communication.

Read more

Since the presidential election is virtually around the corner, talk of transitioning to a new administration is also picking up. While we have blogged about what to do in a transition a couple of times before, it is probably a good idea to talk about it at least one more time this close to the election so people who will be affected can really take heed of the advice from other people who have lived through it before. Here are some tips for what to do in a transition. Is it in line with your thoughts?

According to a recently released survey, both federal managers and the general public agree that government wastes money and has a lot of room for improvement where government efficiency is concerned. Both groups also agree that a new presidential administration will not necessarily improve government efficiency in the near future. Senator McCain and Senator Obama have both outlined the government management reforms they would initiate once elected, but it seems federal managers and the public are not quite biting yet on the proposed improvements.

Click here to see more detail from the referenced survey.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama fleshed out his government reform agenda in a campaign appearance Monday, promising to fire managers of poor-performing programs and appoint a White House “SWAT team” made up of government professionals to review programs for waste and inefficiency.

“I am not a Democrat who believes that we can or should defend every government program just because it’s there,” Obama said during a campaign event in Green Bay, Wis.

Read more

Transitions in Governance and The Partnership for Public Service Invites You to the Release of Roadmap to Reform Report at the National Press Club

Roadmap to Reform: A Management Framework for the Next Administration

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

National Press Club
529 14th St. NW
13th Floor - First Amendment Lounge
Washington, DC 20045

Effective government requires effective management. For too long, our federal government’s operational challenges have received insufficient attention, with serious consequences for the nation. The transition from one presidential administration to the next offers an important opportunity to tackle this problem.

To help shape the next president’s management framework, a number of leading government reform experts forged a consensus about critical federal workforce management issues and actions our next president should take to improve government operations. We believe good government starts with good people and these proposals concentrate on improving the federal government by focusing on its greatest asset: its people.

Please register for this event: http://roadmaptoreform.eventbrite.com

If you have questions, please contact Katie Malague at kmalague@ourpublicservice.org or 202-775-6954.

For those who left the planet over the last two weeks, both major parties had their conventions and both major candidates gave their acceptance speeches, becoming the official Democratic and Republican nominees. These speeches are often seen as the biggest of the campaign, and they certainly have the largest audiences. Senator Obama and Senator McCain both broke the all-time viewership records with almost identical audiences of 38 million watching each speech. So, everything both candidates said in Denver and St. Paul has been scrutinized, and deservedly so, but what exactly did they say about government performance and accountability?

Senator McCain mentioned bureaucracy and bureaucrats, but followed with a more positive call to the county, asking that “If you find faults with our country, make it a better one,” and “If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them.”
Its a tough road to simultaneously bash the people who work for government and invite others to join them, but its not altogether new, dating back 30 years to President Reagan and certainly even further.

Its interesting to look back on President Bush’s first election in 2000 and his address to the convention. While he mentioned “changing the tone of Washington”, there was no rhetoric on bureaucrats or bureaucracy, a change from previous Republican campaigns. Its interesting to think of whether or not somehow that change has been reflected in the eight years that followed, many people.

Finally, for all of us interested in better government performance, one of Senator McCain’s last comments, that his “administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability” may have been the most interesting. No details followed, but certainly this was the first time that this important phrase has been used in front of so many Americans and so many voters. We’re interested in hearing more.

Next: Analyzing Senator Obama’s Convention Speech

So far the candidates for president have paid a lot of attention to problems around the world and the role the United States should play to help solve them. However, there is a growing consensus by other writers and bloggers that not enough attention is being paid to government performance. People would like to know how the Obama and McCain campaigns would solve the issue of government management and performance. If we go by history and look at the past presidential transitions, almost all new administrations have changed the government management approach of their predecessor. In light of this, it is almost assured that should either McCain or Obama become president, they will most likely usher in their own management agenda. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of information out there yet from either campaign on what their management agenda will be. Click here to read what some say should be on the next president’s management agenda. Please give us your thoughts and comments on this issue.

The Performance Institute is contributing to the Association of Government Accountant’s weblog on the need for the presidential candidates to focus more time on the state of government performance, accountability and transparency. Click here to read the article and contribute to the discussion.

The next president will have his work cut out for him when it comes to issues of improving government performance. Some reports are saying not enough has been done by the current president and congress to improve government efficiency. To remedy the performance issues, career civil servants should be appointed to lead federal agencies as this would ensure that people who have been in the system and understand the pros and cons of doing certain things, are in the driver’s seat for implementing any performance measures that are needed to improve government efficiency. What is your take on this issue? Read this article and give us your feedback.

In the business world we tout that competition brings out the best in competing parties. In this case the best includes - more efficiency for the competing parties, and lower cost to the consumers. Might I say it also brings accountability to the table – especially with competitors keeping an eye on each other’s actions. So if competition works well in the business community, should it be any different when it comes to government services? May be it is not so simple to say….however some reports do show that competitive outsourcing is working for the government and is in fact saving taxpayers billions of dollars, while improving efficiency and accountability. So, why is Congress reportedly not so keen on competitive outsourcing? Read this article that gives a little more detail and return here to give us your thoughts.

E-government is a significant topic in the realm of government accountability and transparency, as well as for the Transitions in Governance Project. Discussion of improvements to e-gov has continued, and for the first time in a year, the score of federal websites rose on the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index.

ACSI is produced by the University of Michigan in partnership with the American Society for Quality and CFI group, and has been used since 1999 by more than 100 agencies and departments. Federal websites are finally generating more satisfied customers, but the question remains as to whether this is a lucky blip, or if this is the beginning of a positive trend in citizen satisfaction.

Federal websites face several challenges to achieving the user-friendliness of private and commercial websites. First of all, government sites get less funding than their commercial counterparts.  Secondly, the ban on cookies for federal websites ensures anonymity, but makes tracking and re-visiting more difficult. Lastly, each government website is owned by a different agency, so little consistency exists among federal sites.

How can the federal government overcome some of these key difficulties in making their websites easy to use? What more can be done to ensure citizen satisfaction? Could new technologies resolve some of these problems? Click here to learn more about the ACSI and the challenges federal websites face.

This September, Robert Shea will step down from his post at the Office of Management and Budget as associate director for administration and government performance to work for Grant Thornton’s Global Public Sector division.

Some have referred to Shea as “Clay Johnson’s right hand man,” as he has pushed for greater accountability and transparency by leading the president’s Performance Improvement Initiative and by administering PART. Even Gary Bass, executive director of the non-profit group OMB Watch, who disagreed with Shea on some OMB initiatives, had only good things to say about the retiring director. Bass told government executive that Shea was always open to hearing his criticism and did what he could to address the concerns of OMB Watch.

As Shea departs, he seems worried that the next administration will discontinue the performance management initiatives generated under the Bush administration. He urges the next administration not to start from scratch, but to use the tools created under this administration and build upon the progress that has already been made. Should the next administration continue the Bush performance management initiatives? Are supporters of performance management losing a valuable resource with Shea’s departure from OMB? Share your comments with us today.

On our Transitions blog over the last several months, we have cited different methods that agencies can use to better cope with the upcoming presidential transition. Lean Six Sigma is yet another practice that can help federal agencies maintain their momentum through the next administration.

Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that helps businesses meet their missions from a strategic point of view. Agencies are able to model the way they complete certain processes now, allowing everyone to visualize the process in the same manner. Employees can begin to understand why things are done the way they are and the effectiveness of their methods. This will help tremendously in the transition by allowing the new administration to clearly understand the agencies’ missions and performance. The administration can then determine how the agencies’ missions will remain aligned with their own priorities.

The Performance Institute is one organization that offers on-going Lean Six Sigma training to government agencies, helping them to improve their processes, and ultimately their performance. What has been your agency’s experience with process improvement methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma? Should more agencies be required to use such process improvement methods? Share your comments and read this article to learn more.

In fiscal year 2007, federal agencies competitively awarded about 64 percent of their contract dollars. This might seem like an encouraging figure, but the amount of contracting dollars competitively awarded in 2005 and 2006 was also around 64 percent. It seems that little progress has been made in competitive contracting in the last three years.

Competitive contracting and acquisition has become an important issue in the past decade, but the figures suggest it is losing momentum. What is being done, and can be done, to continue to promote competition in order to best spend taxpayers’ dollars? An article in NextGov explores some efforts by agencies.

DHS now places restrictions on extensions of contracts that were awarded noncompetitively. The Treasury Department is drafting a rules change that will allow the review of justifications of noncompetitively awarded contracts regardless of their amount. Their Chief Acquisition Officers council is also planning the creation of a new competition working group which will collaborate on best practices and analyze trends in government contracts.

These efforts to promote competitive contracting seem more promising than the aforementioned figures, but are they enough? Is 64 percent sufficient, or should all contracts be competitively awarded? Under what circumstances is competition inappropriate? Give us your feedback today.

In the last decade, concrete progress has been made in measuring agencies’ results in government, but more remains to be done to convince agency managers and leaders to use that information to make performance-based decisions.

The GAO recently released a report advising the next president to encourage a more performance-based culture in government. If the President takes a strong stance, it could have the effect of inspiring other government leaders, including congressmen and women, and agency heads, to make decisions with performance results in mind. It is evident that government has adopted a more performance-based system in the past several years through its implementation of performance-based awards for employees. However, the GAO contends that a clear link must be established between employee results and the agencies’ overall goal of using performance information—otherwise, the collection of this information amounts to meaningless paperwork exercises. Organizations like the Performance Institute have been leading the way in teaching managers and other government leaders how to take a performance-based approach to running government agencies.

Could the President steer the government toward a performance-based culture? What more needs to be done? Offer your thoughts and read this article for more information.

“Federal Employees…they work for U.S.” is the catchphrase for the National Treasury Employees Union’s new public service campaign. However cheesy the slogan might be, a great message lies behind it, and couldn’t have come at a better time.

Several government agencies have recently faced difficulties in filling critical positions, and the forecast does not look promising—the baby boomers have begun to retire and will continue to retire for the next decade.

The “They Work for U.S.” campaign reveals the significant and rewarding work of federal employees and the wide range of job opportunities available. Through this project, NTEU is helping to dispel the negative perceptions surrounding government work, and will hopefully lead to a new generation of talented and dedicated federal employees. Learn more about this campaign at www.theyworkforus.com and share your thoughts with us.

Replacing the old GS system with pay-for-performance in federal agencies has been the subject of debate and experimentation for several years. Unfortunately, the system is still under dispute, with agency and union leaders at odds and depicting pay-for-performance in sharply different ways.

Union leaders voiced their concerns at a Senate hearing on Monday. They maintain that federal employees are unhappy under the new pay system, citing accounts of unfair evaluations and general resistance to the system. Agency leaders explained that although the program is not quite polished, it still has the potential to increase efficiency and accountability within government. The efforts of pay-for-performance include raising employee morale by rewarding government staff for their hard work. Granted, it will take time for the new work culture to develop, and ultimately pay-for-performance must gain the support of federal employees to be successful. However, agency leaders feel that this effort will pay off with a resulting efficient, content, accountable workforce.

How can agencies convince resisting feds that pay-for-performance is in their own interests and that they can ultimately benefit from the system? Are their enough efforts currently in place to that effect? What has been your experience with pay-for-performance? Read this article to learn more and share your comments.

How can we expect federal managers to perform and produce results if we do not give them the tools they need to do their job? An article in Government Executive explores the results of a survey given to program managers and federal executives which suggests that inadequate training prevents them from successfully implementing programs.

Respondents of the survey said that the policy design process is largely broken, with a total disconnect between the designers and implementers of policy. This problem could be fixed by properly teaching managers and project implementers how to carry out their missions. According to the survey, up to 50 percent of respondents had not received training in key areas of risk management, budget and financial management, working with Congress, or dealing with the media.

The managers proposed that a forum to discuss best practices would also be helpful. Perhaps federal agencies should require their managers to attend more training sessions and conferences which offer such discussions, and the Performance Institute is one of such organizations which offers these types of services. As a result, we might see projects like the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act and Iraq Reconstruction, both cited as unsuccessful in the survey, prove successful in the future.

Cybersecurity has taken a back seat thus far in presidential concerns and initiatives. Many believe that this has become a valuable domain and that more should be done to ensure the security of our nation’s information technology.

Obama has pledged to appoint a national cyber advisor who will report directly to him if he is elected President, adding to his promises of increased e-governance. Efforts will be coordinated with the new advisor across federal agencies to tighten standards to secure information. Security analysts under the Clinton and Bush administrations agree that we need such an effort and have given similar recommendations.

However, the effort to strengthen cybersecurity could prove unsuccessful if the national cyber advisor is not given enough power to influence key decisions. Former cybersecurity personnel complain that they did not have enough leverage to make changes, and suggest that the advisor become a part of the National Security Council in order to gain adequate authority.

A future national cyber advisor could be given power equal to other NSC senior advisors if the effort is carried out the way security analysts hope. What are the benefits and consequences of giving a national cyber advisor that much power? Is the creation of this position vital to our nation’s security and the promotion of government efficiency? Is increased cybersecurity necessary for e-governance to be effective and secure? Post your comments and read this article to learn more.

Leaders in government HR consider a smooth transition to the next administration to be a top priority. Katie Malague, a senior program manager for the Partnership for Public Service, spoke on the topic at the Performance Institute’s Government HR Innovations 2008 conference last Wednesday.

The Partnership for Public Service’s chief human capital officer survey for 2007 revealed that pay reform and recruiting were the top concerns of HR officials last year. Malague says that this year, far more emphasis is being placed on the upcoming transition. A major goal of CHCOs is to convince agency heads that workforce issues are paramount and should be addressed accordingly. The President’s Management Agenda has assisted in bringing workforce issues to these officials’ attention, and the next step will be to ensure that upcoming administration leaders continue to channel efforts into workforce initiatives.

OPM Director Linda Springer announced her retirement last Tuesday, when she stressed that both her successor and HR officials should not go back and reinvent the wheel, but should instead carry on the progress made under the last administration. Click here to read the full article on Government Executive.

At times, our government managers and executives lack an essential quality to effective managing: the ability to lead. OPM has recently added “developing others” to their executive qualifications list, meaning that the candidates in question have experience in providing consistent feedback to the employees they manage. They give employees projects that will develop their skills, constantly consider the talents and needs of employees, and provide guidance at every worthwhile opportunity.

The new criterion was added only two years ago, but has hardly been mentioned? Perhaps it is because leading is the very essence of managing or being in an executive position. Should we be able to expect that effective leadership is a requisite to the selection of government executives? Does the fact that OPM has to explicitly include leadership as criterion insinuate something about the capability and performance of government managers? How can we measure the leadership ability of government executives in order to hold them accountable? Read this article to learn more about “The Golden Manager’s Rule.”

Both Obama and McCain take stances against earmarked dollars that benefit congressional interests instead of the nation as a whole, but what exactly will they do about it as President? Obama proposes the Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act which will disclose the name of the legislator who proposes the earmark along with a justification 72 hours before it can be approved by the Senate. McCain maintains that he will “exercise the veto pen” to ensure fiscal responsibility.

McCain and Obama have voiced their intentions to curb earmarked dollars to congressional pet projects. These federal financial management initiatives couldn’t come sooner.

Charles B. Rangel, the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, is soliciting donations for a center of public service at the City College of New York, which will house his papers and will be named after him. Last year he won a $1.9 million congressional earmark to help launch the creation the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, and has since requested more money from government, corporations, foundations, and individuals.

The creation of this center seems well-intentioned with the hopes of promoting diversity in public service. Would the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service actually help improve the performance and efficiency of government employees? Will it live up to its goal of helping the under-served communities in getting government jobs, or will it only serve to be a monument to Mr. Rangel as some Republicans have intimated?

The presumptive presidential candidates for this November’s election are preparing to transform the next administration’s government. Below is the agenda of each candidate on improving federal management as well as a reality check by Transitions in Governance. Which of these initiatives are critical for enhancing government performance? Which are pragmatic? Do you agree with Transitions or have a different take? Post your comments today.

McCain: Reduce spending on special interest projects Pros: The growing budget deficit and increased public scrutiny could bring new urgency to the issue. Cons: A Congressional Issue that many previous Presidents, Congressional leaders and others have failed to get a grip on. Chance of Success: 20% Establish greater transparency of the official activities of lobbyists Pros: A hot issue that could become more do-able with the help of bloggers, websites and others. Cons: A Congressional Issue. See above. Chance of Success: 33% Create an independent ethics office in Congress Pros: An interesting and well intentioned idea. Cons: Another area the President has no authority over. And who watches over the watchdog? Chance of Success: 10% Enforce limitations on corporate and union contributions to political parties Pros: The Supreme Court has ruled on this and the Executive Branch should enforce it. Cons: The issue is not enforcing current regulations; McCain seems to be hinting he disagrees with recent Court rulings, which some feel aids Democrats.. Chance of Success: 20%		Obama: Create an accessible internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance filings Pros: Completely achievable with modern technology. Bloggers and new media have led the charge and brought us to this point. Cons: Who is really going to read it all? Chance of Success: 90% Require nearly all contract orders over $25,000 to be competitively awarded Pros: The war and other issues have brought this issue to the fore and it needs to be addressed. Cons: The definition of “competitively awarded” differs based on who you talk to. Chance of Success: 60% Involve Cabinet officials in online fireside chats with agency workers Pros: Everyone loves fireplaces Cons: Aren’t e-mails, web sites, online forums, press release and all employee bulletins enough? Chance of Success: 60% Reform the political appointee process Pros: Desperately needed, the number of appointees has skyrocketed and the process is slow and drives away good people. Cons: Does “reform” mean returning positions to career Feds or just getting his people in place faster? Chance of Success: 65%

Carly Fiorina, former chief executive officer at Hewlett Packard Co., asserts that presidential candidate John McCain understands the importance of technology and the internet. Does McCain have a plan for e-government? Read this article and give us your opinion.

Think tanks focused on government management are helping federal agencies tackle two key management issues: the upcoming presidential transition and the retirement of baby boomers from government jobs. Click here to find out how the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the Partnership for Public Service, AGA, the Performance Institute and other coalition members are addressing management challenges.

Troubling statistics for advocates of the expansion of e-government have been reported by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The percentage of low-income Americans who have broadband internet access is dropping. Twenty-seven percent of the American population has no internet access at all, with the majority of them resisting getting connected to the web. What implications does this have for e-government? Read this article and share your thoughts with us.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is facing workforce troubles on several fronts. The agency’s contracting workforce is rapidly increasing and requires more human capital planning and oversight, while CDC also faces a potentially declining federal workforce and an inability to fill critical jobs while increasing diversity. Read this article to learn what is being done at CDC and give us your comments.

Reducing the pay gap between the private and public sector is a concern for the federal workforce today. Rewarding talented employees in the public sector is important to retain and recruit capable workers, but what price are we willing to pay for public service and government programs? Read this article and give us your own opinion.

According to a recent poll by Meritalk, an organization of government IT specialists, Generation Y desires more readily accessible government information via internet and a more interactive government community. Generation Y is interested in a straightforward conversation with and about government, and the government is adapting how it disseminates information to the public today. Click here to read more and offer your thoughts.

According to a survey given to members of the Defense Department’s financial workforce, human capital issues are of the most concern to both executives and the general workforce. The implementation of the National Security Personnel System, the civilian management system of the Department of Defense, is at the forefront of these concerns. Click here to read more about these issues and give us your feedback.

A study released today claims that the Department of Homeland Security is moving too slowly to sufficiently prepare for the security risks associated with the upcoming presidential transition. Is the department running behind schedule or is it ahead, as the last posted article would have us think? Read this article to learn more about the study and provide your own comments.

Producing a smooth transfer of power within the Department of Homeland Security is a top priority for the agency as it undergoes its first ever administration transition. Many officials, both inside and outside of the agency, worry that terrorists may see this transition as an opportunity to attack our country at a vulnerable moment. Read this article to find out what measures are being taken to ensure national security and a successful transition at DHS.

The deputy chief executive officers of federal agencies are preparing for the next administration transition, as they are essentially in charge while they await the appointment of new political executive officers, and are responsible for making the transition a smooth one. Click here to find out what career officials in several agencies are doing in preparation of the transition.

Government has become slow and ineffective with its layered bureaucracy, demoralized workforce, inadequate leadership, and lack of appeal to a new, talented generation. The inefficiencies will only continue if Senator McCain or Senator Obama does not use their legislative power to start fixing problems within the federal government. Read this article to learn more about these related obstacles to a functional government and share your comments.

The Veterans’ Affairs Department is the next federal agency to replace the old General Schedule pay system with a new pay for performance system. The new pay system uses economic incentives to encourage employee performance and results by eliminating automatic pay raises, and instead making them performance-sensitive. Click here to read more and give us your opinion on the pay for performance initiative.

Senator George Voinovich asked the deputy director for management at OMB, Clay Johnson, to speak about the delay in appropriations bills and its effect on performance at the end of a Senate hearing in May. Congress has yet to pass appropriations bills and probably will not do so until the next president is sworn in. Voinovich describes the difficulties programs face in moving forward without knowing their budgets, and how an absence of this information leads to excuses about why agencies can not perform successfully during a transition. Read this article and give us your reaction.

According to members of the administration, competitive sourcing saves the government hundreds of millions of dollars. Some members of congress believe otherwise, labeling the practice that sets federal workers against contractors “controversial” and “detrimental.” A House bill seeks to halt competitive sourcing by the government for a year, long enough to let the next president deal with the issue. Click here to learn more and share your comments.