Weekly Roundup: April 20 - 24, 2015

Rating Federal Mobile-Friendly Websites. Google implemented a new policy regarding the ranking of mobile-friendly websites on its search engine. NextGov tested Google’s ranking criteria on 28 large federal agency websites and found that about half met the criteria and half didn’t. Where is your agency on the list? Bloomberg and Big Data – The “What Works” City Initiative. The Washington Post reports that Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced: “A three-year, $42 million program, What Works Cities will provide robust technical support, access to expertise, and peer-to-peer learning to 100 midsize U.S. cities to help them better use data and evidence in decision making.” Contributing to this effort will be a new Johns Hopkin University Center for Government Excellence. Why Change Is Hard. FedScoop examines the Chemical Safety Board’s efforts to increase its employee engagement survey scores, which are among the lowest among small agencies (they have a staff of about 40). The article highlights some of the difficulty in getting change to happen and concludes that if it is hard to do for such as small agency, that it must be even more challenging for larger agencies. The New Defense Chief Management Officer. Federal Times reports on the confirmation hearing of Peter Levine, a former Senate staffer, as the next deputy chief management officer at the Pentagon. Levine was key behind legislation to create that position, so if confirmed, he’ll have a chance to take on the management challenges the position was designed to address. . . . A related Government Executive Op-Ed by Lawrence Korb says a key to success in top Pentagon positions is having a good leader in place. * * * * * The Business of Government Radio Show: Conversations with Leaders. What are the strategic priorities for the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service? What is category management and how does it benefit federal acquisition? How is FAS fully leveraging the government’s buying power and saving taxpayer dollars? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and much more with Thomas Sharpe, Commissioner, GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Wednesday at noon, on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org.