Michael J. Keegan

John Kamensky Procurement Reform Redux. Ann Rung, the new chief of procurement policy for the federal government, laid out her vision for reforming the government’s buying practices at a recent conference. According to Charlie Clark, Government Executive, her office “is focusing on ‘simplifying the contractor space to emphasize performance’ in achieving “world-class customer service and cost savings,’ Rung said. ‘The key to simplicity is greater collaboration and cooperation’ within agencies and between the acquisition workforce and industry,” Dan Tangerlini Speaks. Adam Mazmanian Reports.

John Kamensky Transforming Government Acquisition for the Future. An op-ed column by Kymme McCabe and Dan Chenok in Government Executive has sparked a lively on-line debate. They offer, on behalf of a grassroots “Acquisition of the Future” initiative, a roadmap forward, and say: “acquisition transformation, not just reform, is critical to enable the federal government to effectively lead in the Collaboration Age. Now it’s time to chart a course forward toward such transformation.” Their column has generated more than 40 comments! Customer Service is Bleak.

John Kamensky Slow Going in Hiring Process Improvements. According to Eric Katz, Government Executive, a survey shows that less than half of hiring managers are actively involved in the process: “While the administration has emphasized getting managers more directly involved in the hiring process, the latest quarterly reports show agencies are still falling well short of their targets.” Evidence-Based Programs Rock!

CMS head Tavenner announces resignation. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Marilyn Tavenner has announced she will be leaving the agency in February. IOM Touts Clinical Data Sharing. The Institute of Medicine has released four recommendations for the sharing of clinical data from medical trials, which include creating new technology platforms. IOM's recommendations came the same day as an announcement from Johnson & Johnson to make certain clinical trial data available through the Yale School of Medicine's Open Data Access Project.

The Rise of Shadow IT. According to Government Computer News, “Nearly three-quarters of IT security professionals are unaware of the amount of “shadow IT” within their organizations, according to a recent survey by the Cloud Security Alliance. . . .

Show Me the Evidence. An Obama Administration initiative to fund social programs relies on one critical factor. Agencies had to use a data-driven and evidence-based approaches for planning and spending. Ron Haskins, senior fellow for economic studies at the Brookings Institution and author of "Show Me the Evidence," explains in an interview on “In Depth with Francis Rose” how the evidence-based funding approach works. Using the Evidence.

To complement these examples of leadership in action, I also highlight the practical, actionable research done by some of the most recognized and respected thought leaders in public management. It is the unique mission of this magazine, and the IBM Center for The Business of Government as a whole, to connect research to practice, merging real world experience with practical scholarship.

The "data" movement has many names. In Robert Behn's new book, The Performance Stat Potential, "PerformanceStat" refers to the many "Stat" programs initiated after the New York City Police Department successfully launched CompStat in the 1990s.Others use the term "analytics" to capture the use of data. While the trend toward increased use of data to measure performance has received much attention, the training that civil servants need to use data effectively has received less attention.

U.S. CIO Tony Scott: OMB's draft FITARA guidance aims to advance IT reform. OMB released the much-anticipated guidance to reform how agencies buy and manage information technology for public comments. The comment period will remain open until May 30, but federal CIO Tony Scott, in an exclusive Federal News Radio interview, said OMB wants to move on the comments and refinements with a sense of urgency. DHS' Unity of Effort seeds the roots of change. The joint requirements council is one of the best examples of just how much the Homeland Security Department has changed over the last year.

Rewiring the Pentagon: Carter's new cyber strategy. After two months on the job studying the Defense Department's cybersecurity and defense IT needs, Secretary Ashton Carter will on April 23 unveil a new DOD cyber strategy that emphasizes developing the personnel and technologies necessary to stay abreast of an ever-evolving threat. Government’s Mobile Sites, Apps Rated More Highly Than Many Companies’. More and more, Americans are turning to their smartphones to check their bank balance, look up a restaurant listing -- or even access a government service.