OMB finally details broad management doctrine

The Obama administration details its broad management approach in the fiscal 2011 budget request, focusing on three typical areas: outcomes, communication and best practices.

But it's the way the Office of Management and Budget plans to meet these three goals says a lot about where agencies are heading over the next three years.

OMB last summer asked agencies to choose 3-to-8 high performance, high priority goals. In the budget request, the White House lists those agency objectives.

Now the administration is taking it one step farther by requiring bureaus to detail similar high-priority goals that align with their department's broader objectives. All of these program measures will be placed on a Federal Performance Portal. The portal also will link to the growing number of cross-agency dashboards-cybersecurity, improper payments, procurement, research and development, federal workforce and information technology.

Robert Tobias, the director of the Key Executive Leadership programs at the American University in Washington, says OMB is asking for a clearer definition of outcome measures and holding all levels accountable for achieving them.

Robert Shea, who ran the President's Management Agenda for the Bush administration and now is director in Grant Thornton's global public sector, says the Obama administration's approach forces agencies to figure out where they really need to improve and accelerate performance in those areas.

The administration also wants to create problem solving networks. Using Web 2.0 tools, the Performance Improvement Council (PIC) will coordinate groups to solve similar governmentwide problems. The PIC also will look to private sector, academia and non-government organizations for help in solving issues.

Shea adds that relying on the PIC will help bring agencies with similar problems together.

The administration also plans to fund some of the performance improvement efforts. OMB has allocated $100 million for 17 agencies to pay for evaluations of programs or training staff to do the evaluations.

The experts say while $100 million is not a lot of money, it does show how serious the administration is taking this effort.

-Jason Miller, FederalNewsRadio.com
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