Government Performance Project

The Government
Performance Project

Two months from now, Government Executive looks at what makes federal agencies succeed for fail.

Federal managers are under constant pressure from Congress, the General Accounting Office, the Office of Management and Budget, Inspectors General, political appointees, independent watchdog groups and the media to perform wonders with few dollars and dwindling staffs. Virtually no other group of leaders in America has its performance scrutinized so closely and its mistakes broadcast so loudly.

Critics of the executive branch often blast the bureaucracy's waste, inefficiency and mismanagement without taking time to understand the complex issues with which civil servants must grapple. Angry rhetoric and finger pointing take attention away from the difficult national challenges federal executives must handle every day.

With that in mind, Government Executive magazine is working on a project, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, to take a comprehensive and thoughtful review of the inner workings of 15 federal agencies that have extensive interactions with American citizens.

In conjunction with Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Government Executive will look at public administration in the trenches, where policy meets practice and civil servants must turn lofty missions into real programs. Our reporters will use the magazine's 30 years of experience covering federal management to get at the challenges and realities of governance as we enter the 21st century.

Together with our partners at the Maxwell School, we will review and rate management at 15 agencies, focusing on five cross-cutting themes that shape federal management today: financial management, capital planning, information technology, human resource management and managing for results. The results of our surveying and reporting will be published in the February 1999 issue of Government Executive.

The 15 agencies are:

For more information on the Government Performance Project see the press release announcing the project or read a summary prepared by Syracuse University's Maxwell School.

If you would like to send a comment about one of the agencies we are reviewing, e-mail Government Executive project coordinator Anne Laurent at alaurent@govexec.com.