Our aim is to produce research and analysis that helps government leaders more effectively respond to their mission and management challenges.The IBM Center is named "The Business of Government" because its focus is the management and operation of government, not the policies of government. Public sector leaders and managers need the best, most practical advice available when it comes to delivering the business of government. We seek to “bridge the gap” between research and practice by helping to stimulate and accelerate the production of actionable research.

As time has gone on, the gathering of performance data has become increasingly common. But there’s still a major hole. Even entities that produce carefully prepared performance reports often don’t use them in the legislative process. More commonly they are used within agencies to make managerial improvements. But when it comes time to shifting policy direction or debating funding, measures are all too often ignored.

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Several federal agencies have responded to the need for data-driven performance reviews by developing an approach that consists of regularly held, structured, data-driven performance review meetings. This is simple in concept. Some elements, such as periodic program review meetings, are common throughout government. The data-driven performance reviews presented in this report reflect such features but add other elements. What are Data-Driven Performance Reviews?

  Harry Hatry, a pioneer in the performance measurement field, recently predicted that “performance data in the future will be able to be processed continuously and in real time,” and that “managers and their staffs will be able to obtain such information easily and quickly, no matter where the managers are. The information will come from a variety of mobile sources.”

From the Pony Express in 1860 to today’s digital revolution, the scope of our connectivity has increased in every dimension. Our connections are faster, farther-flung, and more complete and immersive than ever before. In the last decade, however, we have crossed a significant threshold, from connectivity into hyperconnectivity.

Based on these insights and trends, this forum presents seven management imperatives that government leaders and public managers must pursue in order to successfully manage in this new environment.

Faster, better decision-making is needed through reduced learning curves and creating a collaborative environment. These goals have led to the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (or DCCI, February 26, 2010).  Near-term projects will focus on reducing cost, improving IT security, and shifting investments into more efficient computing platforms and technologies.

In an increasingly interconnected and networked world, information possesses such significant power that it can no longer be viewed simply as an enabler to meeting one’s mission. Whether in business or defending the nation, information can act as a serious differentiator for those who leverage it and use it to their competitive advantage. The U.S.

Decisions based on bad information can lead to poor results and be quite costly to organizations. This may culminate in the squandering of opportunities, taking on unnecessary risk, misallocating resources, and ultimately not achieving strategic goals or objectives.