Highlights
Performance Issues Focus of March Audio Conference
Don't miss AGA's audio conference on March 24. Titled, Suggested Guidelines for Voluntary Reporting—SEA Performance Information, the session will feature speakers Lisa Parker, CPA, lead project manager for the Governmental Accounting Standards Board's (GASB) SEA and Economic Condition Reporting/Fiscal Sustainability Initiatives, and Evie Barry, MS, AGA's Director of Performance Reporting.
This cost-effective educational tool is only $249 per phone line and attendance is unlimited. The audio conference is set for 2 –3:50 p.m., is worth 2 CPE hours, and the last 20 minutes of the program is devoted to call-in questions.
Cost: $249 per site (UNLIMITED ATTENDANCE) if you register on or before Friday, March 19, 2010 and $299 thereafter. SPECIAL PROMOTION: Government agencies and CPAG members who register five or more offices will receive a 20 percent discount ($200 per site)
Register online
Print the registration form or the Special Promotion Registration form and fax it to 703.684.6933
The Trailblazer Program Announces Grant Program
The Center on Government Performance of the National Center for Civic Innovation announces the opening of the application period for the fourth round of its Government Trailblazer Program. The Trailblazer program encourages local and county governments to engage the public in their performance measurement and reporting processes with the aim of attaining greater alignment between the public’s point of view and government’s actions and priorities. Learn more.
The Third Annual Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Conference is set for March 18–19 at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, TN. For more information contact Michele Collins. Read more about the conference.
February 2010 • Volume 4, Issue 2
SEA Program’s New Technical Consultant Sees Potential for Growth in Performance Reporting
Accenture’s Christopher Ryan believes improving performance is a more pressing concern than ever for public service organizations.
Ryan, who is Accenture’s Recovery Act program manager, is the new technical consultant for AGA’s Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) Report Review program. During his 11 years at Accenture, he helped the U.S. Department of State implement an worldwide performance measurement system, and he sees the value of governments of all sizes seeing “what’s working and what’s not” by measuring how well they deliver services to the public.
Ryan has been working with the former technical consultant, Cynthia B. Green, Ph.D., for the last two months as part of Accenture’s new partnership with AGA. When grant funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation ended in December 2009, Accenture agreed to join with AGA to not only continue the program, but encourage more participation.
“Accenture as a whole is very excited about this. It’s a great opportunity for both organizations to grow the program and grow performance measurement throughout the country,” he said.
Ryan sees the potential for growth, even though all government budgets are tight and the concept is a new one in many areas. “We recognize that some governments are reluctant to take the first step. It’s not exactly ingrained in their culture,” he said. He noted, however, that measuring performance can help governments be more precise in how they make budget cuts (or increases, or that matter). Rather than make an across-the-board reduction, governments can “use a scalpel rather than a hatchet,” if they know which programs produce the best results for citizens. Read more.
Wanted: Citizen-Centric Report (CCR) Reviewers
AGA offers a Certificate of Excellence in Citizen-Centric Reporting for entities that prepare and distribute high-quality Citizen-Centric Reports. To be eligible for the certificate, governments must incorporate into their report the program’s high standards of content, visual appeal, readability, distribution and timeliness in reporting.
The number of reports that we are receiving is steadily increasing and therefore we are looking for additional members to serve as volunteer reviewers of Citizen-Centric Reports that are submitted for the Certificate of Excellence in Citizen-Centric Reporting.
What Do Reviewers Do?
Volunteer reviewers read four-page Citizen-Centric Reports, evaluate them using AGA's Judging Guidelines, and respond with recommendations for report improvements. Each report gets reviewed by three volunteer reviewers. Reviewers decide whether the report they have judged merits the Certificate of Excellence.
What is the Time Commitment?
On average, reviewing/judging a report takes one or two hours and it is all done electronically. More than likely, each reviewer will review one report a month.
Your help is needed! Please volunteer today by contacting Susan Fritzlen.
IBM Center for the Business of Government Research Proposal Deadline
March 1, 2010, is the next deadline to submit research proposals to the IBM Center for The Business of Government. The Center is pleased to solicit research proposals based on the following six themes: performance improvement and analysis, implementation of the Recovery Act, work force transformation, collaboration and management across boundaries, contracting and acquisition, and transparency and participatory democracy using technology. Direct questions to Executive Director Jonathan D. Breul at 202.515.4382.
Auditing Conference Set for May
The National Association of Local Government Auditors is holding its 22nd Annual Conference at the Holiday Inn San Antonio River Walk in San Antonio on May 17–18. Earn up to 27 CPE hours in sessions on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act auditing, leadership management, using technology to promote audit productivity, project management and many other topics. Learn more.
Government Performance in the News
Administration Outlines Performance Management Strategy —Elizabeth Newell and Robert Brodsky, Government Executive. Read more.
High-priority Performance Goals Don't Draw Additional Budget Dollars —Elizabeth Newell, Government Executive. Read more.
Other AGA links
Bring New AGA-Sponsored Training Courses to Your Organization
Register for AGA's Eighth Annual National Leadership Conference, Feb. 18–19, 2010, Washington, D.C.
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