Highlights
Congratulations to Newest SEA GOLD Award Receipts
Hearty congratulations to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Hillsborough, NC for receiving the Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments GOLD Award for their excellent performance reports.
Learn How to Use the Suggested Guidelines for Voluntary Reporting, SEA Information
Have you visited www.performancereporting.org yet? AGA and the Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network collaborated to produce this website to guide you through the process of creating a Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) performance report for a state, municipality, county, agency or other government entity.The contents of this site are based on the recently issued Suggested Guidelines for Voluntary Reporting, SEA Performance Information by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
Upcoming AGA Performance Reporting Events
March 23\Tools to Assist in Establishing a Performance Management System for Your Government\What You Need to Know Audio Conference
May 3|4\AGA's Second Annual Federal Performance Conference, Arlington, VA
Nov. 3|4\AGA's Seventh Annual Performance Management Conference, The W Hotel, Seattle, WA
Are you interested in making a presentation? Interested in serving on the technical committee? Contact Evie Barry.
Ted Greenwood Receives ASPA Award
Ted Greenwood, Ph.D., program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, received the 2011 Harry Hatry Performance Measurement Practice Award at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference in Baltimore on March 13. This award is presented to an individual whose outstanding teaching, education, training and consultation in performance measurement has made a significant contribution to the practice of public administration. Greenwood was instrumental in AGA receiving its first award to establish the Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report Review Program. For a number of years the Sloan Foundation awarded grants to nonprofits and others in designing programs to making municipal governments more responsible to their citizens. Without his support, AGA could not have continued the Certificate program. Congratulations Dr. Greenwood! Your support, advice and encouragement has sustained the AGA program. Read a Perspectives on Performance article about Ted Greenwood.
Input Needed for 2011-2012 Audio Conferences
AGA is planning to offer six audio conferences that pertain directly to performance measures and performance management. Do you have an idea for a topic or a speaker you'd like to hear? Contact Evie Barry with your ideas.
Online Conference on Community Indicators
The Community Indicators Consortium is pleased to announce its first eConference, A Knowledge Exchange: From Data to Impact, to be held online, around the world, April 11|15, 2011. Refer to the conference website for information about registration, exhibiting, sponsorship, a printable flier and more details. Please contact Peter Bayard, conference planner, with questions.
CItizen Participation Web Page Available
The School of Government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill created a web page on citizen participation so that officials would have a central place to look for advice on working with citizens. The mission of the School of Government is to help public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government.
Performance Reporting in the News
The Perils of Performance Measurement \Babak Armajani, Governing.
A Results-First Approach to Cost Reduction \Jitinder Kohli and William D. Eggers, Governing.
Transparency Advances Slowed by Data Problems \Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week.
March 2011• Volume 5, Issue 2
Register Today for AGA’s Federal Performance Conference
With the new demands for openness on government financial managers comes a renewed responsibility to run government programs as efficiently and effectively as possible. A growing chorus—seeking guidance, insight and leadership on these important issues—prompted AGA to gather a stellar lineup of speakers for AGA’s Second Federal Performance Conference (FPC).
Join us on May 3–4, 2011 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Crystal City, VA, and hear from top authorities on government performance and efficiency. Participate in discussions about how to analyze results and communicate government performance to many stakeholders. Engage in information-sharing, gain top-quality education and earn 11 valuable CPE hours.
Show your commitment to a more accountable future and improved government performance. Learn more.
Topics include:
- How OMB Moves GPRA Modernization Act Forward\Shelley Metzenbaum, Ph.D., Associate Director of Performance and Personnel Management, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
- Doing What Works\Jitinder Kohli, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress.
- An Overview of the GPRA Modernization Act\U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, R-VA (invited)
- Special Workshop\Analysis of Performance and Financial Information to Improve Effectiveness and Planning (earn an additional 4CPE hours)
Special Bonus: Group Discount Available for AGA Members
Are you an AGA member? Are there other AGA members in your office? Submit two registration forms at the full price and get the third registration free. For more information about this special deal for AGA members, contact Evie Barry.
Register online
Print the registration form
Hillsboroughfs SEA Report Becomes Tool for Improved Communication, Management
All governments seem to have too much to do and too few resources to tackle everything.
Hillsborough, NC, population 6,700, was no exception. Town Manager Eric J. Peterson said itfs the same everywhere: 95 percent of the time is spent on low-priority items, gand thatfs just wrong.h
Looking for a better way to keep everyone focused on the townfs most important goals, leaders adopted a performance management system and incorporated the results in an annual Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report. The townfs Fiscal Year 2009-2010 report received a gold award from AGAfs review program earlier this year.
Itfs somewhat unusual for a town the size of Hillsborough to implement a performance management system, but today, with just a few years of experience behind them, government officials say the benefits are many.
Decision-makers have better information to evaluate government services. Administrators can more easily ensure the townfs top goals are being addressed. Managers and employees can concentrate on the big picture instead of being constantly distracted by the crisis of the day. Citizens can use the information contained in the SEA report to determine whether the quality of life in Hillsborough is improving. \Read more.
Calling All Accountability Outreach Coordinators
If your chapter has designated a member to act as the Accountability Outreach Coordinator (AOC), contact Evie Barry or 800.AGA.7211, ext. 324. AGA is considering inviting the AOCs to participate in the Sectional Leadership Meetings and want to get a handle on how many we could expect to attend. The AOC is responsible for promoting AGAfs performance and accountability programs to the chapter members and the community. Chapter responsibilities could include:
- Promote public awareness and confidence in the integrity, competence and professionalism of government accountability professionals.
- Be a leading source of information and knowledge on accountability within the chapter.
- Promote speakers and educational/training sessions that focus on government accountability and performance best practices for chapter events.
- Publicize accountability and performance activities that have been adopted by governments in the chapter newsletter.
- Build relationships with other professional associations and private sector organizations to expand AGAfs accountability and performance programs.
- Encourage the adoption of AGA accountability activities through speaking engagements and personal contacts.
- Participate in quarterly conference calls with other AOCs and the director of performance reporting.
- Encourage chapter members to participate as CEAR reviewers, SEA reviewers and Citizen-Centric Report reviewers.
Measuring Federal Agency Performance, AGA Can Help
Will your agency be prepared to meet the new responsibilities outlined in the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (H.R. 2142)? This new legislation is the first major update to the requirements of the Government Performance Results Act of 1993. The legislation requires federal agencies to set measurable performance goals, improve coordination to avoid duplicative programs and post regular performance updates on a public website. The bill calls for each agency to designate a chief operating officer and a performance improvement officer to oversee efforts to improve agency and government management.
AGA has been a leader in promoting the use of performance measures in government, and we can help you prepare for the requirements of the new law. AGA offers four onsite, full-day training courses dealing with the topic of measuring agency performance.
The courses are:
- Auditor Roles in Government Performance Measurement
- Assessing the Quality of Performance Reports
- Assessing the Reliability and Relevance of Performance Information, and
- Auditing Performance Management Systems
Note that all these courses can be customized for state and local governments.
AGA also offers three two-hour courses dealing with additional performance measurement topics. If you are interested in training on the topic of performance measures, please contact AGA’s Education Department at 800.AGA.7211, ext 307, or onsitecourses@agacgfm.org.
PPMRN Certificate Program Wants You
Earn professional certification in Public Performance Measurement through the National Center for Public Performance at Rutgers University-Newark\a widely recognized provider in the field of performance measurement. The Public Performance Measurement Certificate program is appropriate for individuals who are employed in government and non-profit settings who wish to improve their organizationfs performance. The online certificate program uses emerging technology to engage employees where they work. This educational delivery model recognizes the increasing demands of government and non-profit employees and aims to provide an alternative to on-site programs which require travel and predetermined meeting times. The five-course cohort offers valuable information, flexibility and the opportunity for studentfs to apply what they have learned in our program and enhance the performance of their organization.
AGA Members Get Discounted Rate for Audit Excellence Conference
The Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) welcomes AGA members to its annual conference in Charlotte, NC. Called, gRacing Toward Audit Excellence,h the conference is set for May 16|17 at the Marriott Charlotte City Center. Join our lively group of government financial professionals as we learn more about fraud, risk, information technology, report writing, and much, much more. Donft forget all the extras Charlotte has to offer: NASCAR Hall of Fame, Discovery Place, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Lowefs Motor Speedway, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, and the EpiCentre. Earn 15 CPE hours and 12 more if you attend a Sunday and Wednesday workshop. AGA members will be offered the ALGA member rate of $450 for the two-day conference. Register today!
Other AGA links
Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization
Register for AGA's Second Annual Federal Performance Conference,
May 3|4, Arlington, VA
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Thank you.
© 2011 Association of Government Accountants