Weekly Roundup: May 4-8, 2020

John Kamensky

Who Is the Economic Predictor? Federal Times reports: “with the U.S. economy having just experienced its worst financial quarter in a decade because of the coronavirus pandemic, senior government leaders are asking when it will recover. The Transportation Department’s statistical agency may be able to offer clues.”

Are Agencies Ready to Manage in a New World?

Government needs to think about effective management both in the current historical moment, and for the longer-term. Additionally, knowing how well different which agencies are managed would be a useful baseline for new agency leaders or in setting priorities for a new administration. Developing benchmarks to measure effective management would be useful for agencies to assess how they are doing over time, in comparison to other agencies, or what best practices exist for potential adoption.

Weekly Roundup: April 27 – May 1, 2020

John Kamensky

Chief of Staff. What is the role of a chief of staff? When does an organization need one? A great article in the Harvard Business Review.

Part 1: The Future of Work Is Suddenly Here: “Distance Work” Is Transforming the Workplace

[Note: This column also appears in Washington Technology. It is the first in a series on how the COVID-19 crisis has changed how government works.]

Where’s the Money? Oversight of the CARES Act

The Small Business Administration says it will start accepting “paycheck protection” applications from up to 30 million small businesses by April 11.  The IRS is anticipated to start sending out stimulus payment checks starting mid-April to about 140 million taxpayers. And there are dozens of other provisions mandating action with impossibly short deadlines – while much of the federal workforce is working from home.

Weekly Roundup: March 23-27, 2020

John Kamensky

Emergency Acquisition Authorities. Federal News Network reports: “At least four agencies have implemented emergency acquisition authorities to make it easier to award contracts to support coronavirus relief efforts.” This includes both micro-purchase thresholds and simplified acquisition thresholds.

Applying and Adapting Lessons from the 2009 Stimulus

What needs done to effectively implementing programs to address the COVID-19 funding and response efforts about to be enacted into law?  The IBM Center sponsored a number of research reports in the wake of the 2009 Recovery Act.  Following is an overview of these reports, with lessons learned, and a perspective as to what might be a governance framework that builds on lessons from that experience and addresses the current environment for ensuring the dollars and programs make a difference for the American people.

Weekly Roundup: March 16-20, 2020

John Kamensky

Weekly Roundup: March 9-13, 2020

John Kamensky

The Early Internet Years in Government – A Model of Fostering Innovation

Not having a technology background, I had little appreciation for just how cutting edge we were at the National Performance Review (NPR) – Vice President Al Gore’s reinventing government initiative in the 1990s. But I readily understood the power of letting innovators stretch their imaginations!

Pages

Emeritus Senior Fellow
IBM Center for The Business of Government

Mr. Kamensky is an Emeritus Senior Fellow with the IBM Center for The Business of Government and was an Associate Partner with IBM's Global Business Services.

During 24 years of public service, he had a significant role in helping pioneer the federal government's performance and results orientation. Mr. Kamensky is passionate about helping transform government to be more results-oriented, performance-based, customer-driven, and collaborative in nature.

Prior to joining the IBM Center, he served for eight years as deputy director of Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government. Before that, he worked at the Government Accountability Office where he played a key role in the development and passage of the Government Performance and Results Act.

Since joining the IBM Center, he has co-edited six books and writes and speaks extensively on performance management and government reform.  Current areas of emphasis include transparency, collaboration, and citizen engagement.  He also blogs about management challenges in government.

Mr. Kamensky is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and received a Masters in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, in Austin, Texas.