Best Practices News 
Top News
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- Proposed commission would give teeth to cost-saving ideas but some lawmakers skeptical
- Feds outside the Beltway react to furloughs
- Contracting executives guilty of 8(a) program fraud
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- 29-year-old NASA engineer going where no one has gone before
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- NOAA meteorologist helps save lives one storm at a time
- ICE Director John Morton stepping down
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- Latest postal reform proposal OKs 5-day delivery
- IRS official contradicts claims about reviews
- House presses VA for more details after cyber attacks
- DoD maintains BRAC fight, despite opposition
Proposed commission would give teeth to cost-saving ideas but some lawmakers skeptical
A new commission, proposed by David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general, would recommend ways to streamline government by removing duplication and extraneous spending from government agencies. Federal-employee unions criticized the proposal and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee lawmakers expressed skepticism that such a proposal could get congressional approval.
Security clearance process in need of makeover, expert says
In the wake of the NSA security leak, questions are being raised about the security clearance process for which Edward Snowden was subjected. One security clearance expert tells Federal News Radio, that while the process for granting security clearances has become more efficient over the past few years, it has not become more effective.
2013 Government Performance Summit
The current federal climate brought on by sequestration and continuing resolutions has tightened government spending while increasing the need for performance improvement. This year's Government Performance Summit focuses on how data can help agencies achieve this goal.
Former OMB performance guru Metzenbaum lands new job
Shelley Metzenbaum is now the president of the Volcker Alliance, a non-partisan group trying to improve trust in government. Metzenbaum left the Obama administration earlier this month.
Government needs senior execs willing to break agency mold, report says
The Obama administration has set its sights on more than a dozen national priorities, such as cybersecurity and energy efficiency, that cut across federal agency missions. But the government lacks a dedicated team of senior executives willing to break out of the agency mold to implement those goals, according to a new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government. The author of the report, Bruce Barkley, told Federal News Radio his proposals for redesigning the Senior Executive Service.
LEED green building standard clears first hurdle for governmentwide use
The Green Building Advisory Committee recommends GSA establish the LEED certification as the governmentwide standard for all federal buildings. GSA will work with Energy and DoD to come up with the final decision.
Federal agencies 'slipping' on innovation
Governmentwide scores tracking how agencies foster and reward employee innovation dropped in 2012 for the second year in a row, according to a new report from the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte. NASA took the honors for the most innovative large agency, while the Surface Transportation Board was the most innovative small agency.
Agency collaboration key to saving money
As the new chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce and government efficiency, Sen. Jon Tester says he will work to improve government services by pushing for better inter-agency collaboration and smarter investments that produce results.
How one Air Force program aims to save $1 billion
The Air Force Materiel Command is trying to save up to $1 billion through a process called High Velocity Maintenance. Dr. Steve Butler, the executive director of the Air Force Materiel Command, speaks with Francis Rose about how the process helps his agency save money.
Feds' view of senior leaders takes a nosedive
Employee satisfaction with agency leadership dipped for the first time in 10 years in 2012, after years of slight but consistent gains. Leadership scores fell to 52.8 points on a 100-point scale, a drop of 2.1 points from 2011 levels, according to a new report from the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte. It's the first time in the last decade that overall scores dropped year-over-year.
Online Chat: Tips to great leadership
What does it take to be a great leader in federal service? What should you be doing now to prepare for a leadership position in the future? And, what can feds do about bad leaders in their offices? Suzanne Logan, director of the Office of Personnel Management's Center for Leadership Development and Federal Executive Institute, joined Federal News Radio for a special online chat on this subject. View an archive of the chat.
E-government bolsters satisfaction with federal services
For the second year in a row, the number of citizens who report being satisfied with government services rose, according to a new report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The higher governmentwide score was driven in large part by the increasing satisfaction with government websites, which rounded out the year at near all-time highs.
Employees skeptical of managers' ability to cut deadwood
Federal employees are skeptical their managers are making effective decisions about the federal workforce, according to a new report from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Just 24 percent of the employees agreed that their agencies properly addressed poor performers, while 29 percent of respondents indicated their organizations eliminated unnecessary programs and positions, according to the survey of 42,000 feds from 24 agencies and departments.
Patience running thin with White House open government efforts
The White House reaffirmed its commitment to an open and transparent government in President Barack Obama's second term. But government watchdog advocates say their frustration is growing with the slow and inconsistent progress agencies are making to make information more easily available.
Warner seeks to 'clean house' on outdated agency reports
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he plans to introduce legislation allowing for the elimination or consolidation of outdated or redundant agency reports. Cutting back on unnecessary reporting requirements is part of the 2010 Government Performance and Results Modernization Act.
Survey: PIOs turn focus to quality, not quantity
Performance improvements officers say agencies are getting better at the measuring part — using data to driver better performance. Overall, 71 percent of agency PIOs who responded to an exclusive Federal News Radio survey said their agency makes good use of performance data.
Avoiding 'cliff jumpers' and other tips for effective social-media use at agencies
While social media has permeated nearly all aspects of American life, in many corners of the government, employees and managers are still figuring out how Facebook, Twitter and a host of other digital technologies can help them do their jobs better. A new report from the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton presents case studies of effective uses of social media and provides tips for developing a coherent strategy.
MSPB eyes gaps in employee motivation
From tightened purse strings to a rapidly retiring workforce, federal agencies face a potential witches' brew when it comes to maintaining employee motivation, the Merit Systems Protection Board found in a new report. While overall motivation levels remain high, MSPB pointed to two potential gaps: Many federal employees do not feel all that motivated by the specific characteristics of their jobs, and they increasingly feel that job performance is disconnected from reward.
OGE clarifies gift-giving rules as inauguration approaches
With President Barack Obama's second inauguration - along with the flurry of balls, receptions and other related ceremonies - just weeks away, the Office of Government Ethics has issued new guidance to agency ethics officials.
What federal applicants should know about polygraph tests
More and more Americans reported last year to having to submit to a polygraph examination in the quest of a coveted security clearance for federal employment or to keep a federal job. But unless you are like George Washington and you "cannot tell a lie" about cutting down the cherry tree, this controversial method could leave you rattled and unaware that you might have incriminated yourself during the process.
