IBM Center for The Business of Government

Yet in many ways, the world of computerized financial data has not yet progressed as far as have other computer applications. This situation developed in part because of the lack of a single financial-data standard. Consequently, in spite of expensive systems implementations, spreadsheets remain the most commonly used software in the offices of many chief financial officers. On top of that fact, government financial regulators have frequently added their own proprietary reporting standards.

With the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and the extensive reporting requirements stemming from this new legislation, government managers are faced with even greater demands for fiscal accountability and transparency. Maintaining financial integrity over agency data is especially important given the amount of information the public can now access through websites such as Recovery.gov and USASpending.gov. Because of such public scrutiny, government managers must be even more vigilant in ensuring the soundness and quality of their data.

In the wake of the Katrina disaster, one Louisiana state agency leader used the “clean slate” provided as an opportunity to re-design the eligibility determination process for health care benefits provided to citizens in need. This report is a first-hand story of commonsense management, using basic process management techniques to re-design a vital element of service delivery. Author Vicki Grant describes step-by-step processes used by a front-line agency leader to make a huge difference for thousands of beneficiaries of Louisiana's public healthcare system.