Building a High Performance Government Government The Obama
Building a High Performance Government: Government The Obama Administration’s Performance Management Approach Dustin Brown Deputy Assistant Director for Management, OMB Asian Regional Seminar, Malaysia March 1, 2011
Where are we Headed? Government That Works. “We shouldn’t just give our people a government that’s more affordable. We should given them a government that’s more competent and more efficient. We can’t win the future with a government of the past. ” President Barack Obama State of the Union Address, January 25, 2011 “The test of a performance management system is whether it's actually used…. Federal managers and employees at all levels must use performance goals and measures to set priorities, monitor progress, and diagnose problems. ” Chief Performance Officer Jeff Zients October 29, 2009 2
Lessons Learned from Past Efforts Government Performance and Results Act (1993 - present) +__ • Stable performance planning and reporting framework • Performance focus 56% 38% --__ • Lack of leadership involvement • No focus on prioritization or management • Focus on creating plans/reports Program Assessment Rating Tool (2003 - 2008) +__ • Program focused • Challenging questions on 38%effectiveness/mgmt 56% program __--__ • Not used by managers • Not used 40% by Congress to 64% allocate funds • Reinforced stovepipes Past government-wide efforts helped set goals and report results, but fell short of establishing lasting, effective management practices and became compliance activities with little senior or program engagement 3
PART Not Used by Congress for Funding Decisions Congress’ funding allocation 1, 015 programs $3, 508 M in 2009 193 programs $1, 126 M 326 programs $1, 603 M Administration’s proposal 297 programs $635 M 26 programs $18 M 173 programs $125 M 4
Where are we Coming From? Lack of Performance Focus. 60% My Organization Has Challenging Reviews Comparing Plans vs Performance 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 38% 0% Public Sector 56% My Sector Has a Robust Performance Management System Private Sector 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 40% 64% 0% Public Sector Private Sector A Gap Exists Between Private and Public Sector Performance Management Practices 5
Public Views on Importance of Results Focus * • Current views on government performance is strongly related to their confidence in the government's ability to solve problems, but 66% have little or no confidence (a record low). • By 62% to 36%, people said their priority is making government more efficient and more effective, not reducing its size • 44% of Americans rate government’s ability to meet its goals as not so good or poor, but 61% say satisfied with own personal interactions with Federal programs. • When asked to rank the priorities for improving government, the top two are making the government more accountable for how it spends its money (45%) and reducing wasteful spending (38%), and making programs more effective at solving problems (29%). • Having agencies set clear goals that are measured by real-world results (68%) was top-ranked specific proposal, followed by improving the budget process. *Center for American Progress/Hart Survey from July 2010 6
Transition to Obama Administration • Opportunity to adopt latest practices from State, local, international examples into government-wide efforts • But, need to tailor performance improvement framework to characteristics of U. S. Federal government • Need to move beyond government-wide performance improvement efforts that led to compliance instead of establishing useful, lasting management practices 7
Past Legislation created a foundation But …. . the true test of a management system is Is it used? 8
How Will We Get There? Performance Management Strategies that Make Government Work Better 1. Use performance information to lead, learn, and improve outcomes 2. Communicate progress through data-driven reviews 3. Strengthen problem-solving networks 9
1. Use Performance Information to Lead, Learn, and Improve Outcomes Senior agency leaders typically focus on communications, budget, legislation —not results To achieve the Administration’s goals, we need to focus leaders on driving focus on results through to completion 10
Agency High Priority Performance Goal Approach Objectives How? Senior Leadership Engagement Agency Heads define “Priority Goals” to get ownership and ongoing engagement Accountability Near-term goals over 18 -24 months aligned with tenure of senior leaders; Goal Leaders clearly named Focus on Implementation and Coordination Goals should be achievable within current legislation and budget Frequent Performance Reviews Measures/milestones with quarterly updates Prioritized Follow Up Surveys of Goal Leaders and OMB on likelihood of goal achievement Transparency Progress made available on central web site – performance. gov 11
Example Agency Priority Goals • Reduce the homeless veteran population from 110, 000 to 59, 000 by June 2012 by providing permanent housing • Double renewable energy generating capacity to 60 gigawatts • By 2011, HHS will increase Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment by 516, 000 children or 7 percent above the 2008 baseline • By the end of 2011, reduce the number of households with children who experience very low food security by 100, 000. • By 2011, USDA will reduce the number of Salmonella illnesses by 50, 000 and reduce illness costs by about $900 million • Assist 3. 1 million homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes due to foreclosure • Achieve significant reduction in violent criminal offenses of at least five percent within 24 months on targeted tribal reservations 12
Overview of High Priority Performance Goal Process Engage Agency Heads 3 -8 set by agency heads Ambitious, Meaningful Identify Goal Leaders Senior Goal Leader Action Plans Quarterly Updates Identify problems Quarterly Targets Agency Reviews Quarterly Milestones Quarterly Data, Strategy Goal Lieutenant Measures Measurable Milestones Within Current Budget/Legislati on Contributing Programs Data-Driven Performance Reviews OMB Reviews based on: Public Updates on Site Progress on Priority Goals reported on web site OMB surveys, Goal Leader surveys on likelihood of success Management Review Processes 13
USAPerformance. gov Taxonomy New Goal-Focused Performance Taxonomy Agency Theme Legend Submitted by agencies – Phase I Budget Functions Agency-Defined Groupings Planned for Phase II Priority Goal Sub-Goal (tag-only) Performance Data Measures Action Plan Milestones Other Agency Measures Indicators Data. gov or agency site Explanatory Narratives Other Information Contributing Programs Other Agency Programs Explanatory Narratives Financial Resources Granular Data Budgetary Resources USASpending MAX 14
2. Communicate progress through data-driven reviews • Data-driven discussion on progress with quarterly survey of Goal Leaders and OMB on: – – – Likelihood of goal achievement? Confidence in that assessment? Which actions would most improve performance? Promising practices identified? Were targets/milestones for this quarter met? • Inform decisions across the broader system – All levels of organization – Provide data back to delivery partners with value add on what does and does not work • Invite ideas and stimulate innovation – Motivates employees through visible goals – Known goals encourages collaboration and innovation without fear of not meeting ambitious goals Apply “Bill Bratton accountability principle” across the Federal government: “No one got in trouble if the crime rate went up. They got in trouble if they did not know why it had gone up and did not have a plan to address it. ” 15
Senior-Led Performance Management Reviews 16
3. Strengthen Problem-Solving Networks • Performance Improvement Council fosters cross-agency problem solving to drive performance and results • High Priority Goals can be an area of focus for multiple agencies: housing for veterans, support for military families, etc. • Establish peer review networks to help improve quality and effectiveness of agency performance reviews • Testing Expert. Net platform to engage outside experts in problem solving 17
Government Performance Modernization Act (2010) Signed into law by President Obama January 4, 2011 Priority Setting and Cross-Agency Coordination • Requires President to set Federal Government Priority Crosscutting Outcome and Management Goals one year after taking office • Requires Agency Heads to Set 2 -year Priority Goals • Requires identification of low-priority program activities Management Reviews • At Least Quarterly Review of Federal and Agency Goals Elevates Roles • Establishes Chief Operating Officers and Performance Improvement Officers in each agency • Establishes inter-agency Performance Improvement Council Transparency/Accountability • Requires all performance information on central website with quarterly updates on Priority Goals • Annual reports to Congress on unmet goals 18
Thank You Questions? Contact Information Dustin S. Brown Deputy Assistant Director for Management Executive Office of the President Office of Management and Budget dbrown@omb. eop. gov 19
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