GovernmentExecutive.com

The President's Management Council on Friday published its annual report on governmentwide efforts to improve program performance, this time emphasizing agency success stories over specific grades on a traffic-light-style management score card.

The report, released by the Office of Management and Budget, reviewed the government's efforts to meet the goals laid out in the President's Management Agenda. It is a supplement to the administration's quarterly score cards assessing agency management accomplishments.

OMB Deputy Director for Management Clay Johnson said this year's focus on success stories reflected President Bush's interest in knowing how improvements in agencies' ratings translate into program enhancements.

The new emphasis does not represent a retreat from the goal of increasing agencies' overall grades on the score card, Johnson said, especially in the areas of e-government and financial management, where there is the most room for progress.

"Our focus and priority on going to yellow and going to green are still the same," Johnson said. "We anticipate there being significantly more green and yellow and significantly less red at this time next year. And we're not going to do that by standing at parade rest."

He said the president, in meeting with the council to discuss the report, indicated that he appreciates the "dirty business" of management improvement, and described the "day-in, day-out slogging it out in the trenches" as important, if not high profile.

"It's important to measure results so we know we're doing our job," President Bush told the council. "It's also important to measure results to determine whether or not the taxpayers' money is being spent wisely."

In one of the few high-level statistics included in the report, the council, made up of agency officials that serve in a position comparable to that of a chief operating officer, reported that 73 percent of federal programs now are focusing on and achieving clear goals, up from 45 percent in 2003.

The report described an administration goal of saving $50 billion annually through enhancements to performance and efficiency, and highlighted examples of programs that have reported improvements.

A Social Security Administration initiative to increase the use of information technology and reform business processes for the handling of disability and retirement benefits yielded $159 million in savings during fiscal 2005, according to the report.

In the area of personnel management, the report highlighted the Homeland Security Department's success in providing professional development skills training for managers.

The council also noted that a consolidation of financial management systems at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development is projected to save $20 million over 10 years.

The report cited successes among the administration's e-government initiatives, though Johnson said he and Bush did not discuss the push-back from members of Congress that has hindered many of the projects from moving forward at the pace and funding levels the administration would like to see.

COMMENTS

• These are compelling arguments in favor of seizing control of costs associated with illegal immigration. I think all European-descended (like me, for instance, an Irish) should have to pay if their ancestors did not complete the forms to immigrate. I wonder how much we'd be willing to fork over? $25,000? $200,000? It would probably depend on how many generations we've been here. Accountability runs two ways. GovExec.com reader Posted March 22, 2007 9:50 AM
• Accountability runs two ways. The president and Congress should be held accountable for the national debt. If the president Congress cannot manage this checkbook, why are the other government workers being held accountable for performance? If the president and Congress cannot control the illegal immigrants from overtaking America, how can they expect accountability from other government workers? How could the number of illegal immigrants leap to over 12 million and the president and Congress not notice? Where is the accountability to closing the gate/border after the herd has passed through? I expect the president and Congress to quit giving these illegal immigrants a free ride on the backs of the legal Americans and make them apply for citizenship to remain in our country. The Mexican government is getting rich from these illegal immigrants at the expense of the American people and our ancestors. I expect the president and Congress to ensure these illegal immigrants and families applying for citizenship to not be allowed to overburden our social services and agencies until their citizenship is complete. The length of time being an illegal immigrant in the United States does not automatically ensure citizenship for either the illegal immigrant or their family. I expect the president and Congress to get rid of all the illegal immigrants not applying for citizenship and giving America back to the American people. America has been fighting the battle with Iraqi for nearly 15 years and it has not even gotten close to the Iraqi government being able to take control of their government with the insane suicidal bombings and killings. Where is the accountability? It's not the president’s daughters being maimed for life, being blown to bits, and dying for the freedom of the Iraqi people, it's our sons and daughters. GovExec.com reader Posted October 23, 2006 1:25 PM
• I'm pretty sick and tried of hearing about how badly the government agencies perform. I've been keeping track over the last eight to 12 months. Normally I wouldn't care, were it not for NSPS. I am being forced into NSPS where I must outperform my co-worker or lose pay (or even lose my job). Here you have major government agencies failing month after month, yet no one gets a pay cut or gets fired. Why is outstanding performance only required of regular civilian employees? How can we respect a system that is so biased, protects failing managers and squashes the worker? No one in the government will dare address this question. The score cards are on the Internet for everyone to view, if you visit the score card site you will find agency heads failing month after month, quarter after quarter. No one loses his or her job and no one suffers any adverse action. I thought the president wanted the best and the brightest. Oh, I forgot. He was referring to his agency heads. Un-Civil Servant GovExec.com reader Posted October 16, 2006 3:09 PM