OMB wants input from feds via Results.gov

The Office of Management and Budget intends to improve communications with federal employees by using a retooled President’s Management Agenda Web site, Results.gov.Until now, OMB officials used Results.gov primarily as a place to post the results of the quarterly PMA score card, which measure how well agencies are doing in different areas, such as workforce, competitive sourcing and e-government.But as part of a relaunch announced Feb. 1, OMB is looking to the Web site as a way to exchange ideas with employees about good management practices, building on the management improvements achieved through PMA over the last five years.The new site, for example, gives examples of programs being made more effective, key management principles that should be in place if a work group wants to be more effective, and obstacles that prevent agencies from meeting that goal.Clay Johnson, OMB's deputy director for management, said that in six months, he expects the majority of content on Results.gov to come from federal employees. He wants them to talk about issues and bring up their concerns.Johnson wants “a little less ivory tower here and a little more from where the rubber meets the road,” he said Thursday at a roundtable discussion with reporters.On Feb. 1, OMB published the score card for the first quarter of fiscal 2007. As always, departments receive color-based grades, with green meaning they’re on track, yellow showing they need to make some adjustments and red indicating an initiative is in jeopardy.Johnson described the average department to be on “the greenish side of yellow” for the first quarter.