Federal Manager's Daily Report

The incoming Trump administration should build on, not replace, previous programs to improve government performance, according to the latest in a series of white papers on government management from the National Academy of Public Administration.

“A temptation facing any new administration is to create a new reform agenda to improve federal agency performance. This would be a mistake. GPRAMA [the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010] provides the President with the framework needed to institute the President’s agenda and improve government performance. The focus should be on creating the conditions for GRPAMA to succeed,” it says.

Recommendations include:

Focus on using performance information; while past performance management reforms have generated performance data but that data still are not well distributed to managers, it said.

Work with Congress to agree upon goals because “when the White House and Congress direct agencies to achieve contrary goals, the ultimate goal of performance management will be undercut.”

Leaders should encourage employees “to acknowledge problems, question basic assumptions, and invest their ingenuity to solve problems.”