White Papers

How Do Successful Government Agencies Meet Today's Performance Expectations?

Jim Neal, Vice President, North Highland

Federal leaders are under more pressure than ever before to reduce costs, justify budget requests and spend plans, and demonstrate achievement of performance goals. The ballooning federal deficit and an intense emphasis on transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes require leaders to ensure their programs are high-performing – and can be proven to Congress, the President, and the public.

The Office of Management and Budget's guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes specific objectives that will shape federal agency performance expectations long after ARRA funds are disbursed: "the public benefits of these funds must be reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner" and "program goals are achieved, including specific program outcomes." Once these expectations of measuring, reporting, and achieving outcomes are set, there will be no going back.

Unfortunately, many federal agencies will be challenged to effectively meet these expectations. However, a few organizations can consistently produce and cite performance measures at multiple levels that align and "roll up" to measures cited in the strategic plan, meet federal performance infrastructure requirements, and provide proof of high performance. These organizations are applying Enterprise Performance Management as a way to drive superior execution.