Federal Manager's Daily Report

A new report from the Partnership for Public Service says that “from an early reading of President Donald Trump’s announcements on government management, this administration intends to keep COOs busy.”

The COO position, typically held by politically appointed deputy secretaries or deputy administrators, plays a key role in efforts to improve management of federal agencies, notes the study, done with the Booz-Allen consulting firm.

It cited administration initiatives including creation of a high-level White House office of innovation focusing on government IT, regulatory reform and other areas; an executive order on government reform; and internal agency reviews with an eye to improving efficiency, reducing the workforce and maximizing employee performance. Those come on top of to pre-existing initiatives such as data center consolidation and modernizing IT resources that are also in a COO’s portfolio, it said.

It said that some mechanisms are in place to support new initiatives, such as the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010, which require agencies to report on whether they are meeting their priority goals, assess risk and identify strategies for improving their operations. Also, the 2014 Digital Accountability and Transparency Act created a platform for more transparency in spending, it said, and  the President’s Management Council is available to coordinate policy government-wide.