Digital Government

KSAs and hiring reform in government

OPM's new leader wants to reform the hiring system so that greater numbers of qualified candidates can compete for jobs.

People

How to waste time and talent through acquisition training

Readers respond to blogger Steve Kelman's suggestion that the federal government take a hard look at the content of its acquisition training programs.

Acquisition

Note to DOD IG: "Assisted acquisition" does mean "provide help"

DOD IG guidance moves GSA's Office of Assisted Services in the wrong direction, subtracting rather than adding value for their government customers.

People

Why technology is not enough

A recent study found that organizations get the most out of technology when they also adopt new management practices, Steve Kelman writes.

Acquisition

Will contracting savings plans translate into budget cuts?

Blogger Steve Kelman believes that OMB should avoid inadvertently penalizing agencies that come up with aggressive plans for saving contracting dollars.

Acquisition

Are we wasting the talents of contracting staff? (Part 2)

Blogger Steve Kelman finds that not all government contracting hires feel as if their talent is being wasted.

People

Are we wasting the talents of our new government contracting hires?

Blogger Steve Kelman was discouraged to hear how one agency is failing to leverage the skills of contractor staff.

Acquisition

Government should take a cue from consumers

A startup called Groupon provides the federal government with a good model of how to leverage buying power, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

Acquisition

Agencies should not fear talking to contractors

Columnist Steve Kelman writes that communication between government and industry is key to saving money and and preventing misunderstandings in contract language.

Acquisition

Contract management: Glass half empty or half full?

Where GAO finds problems with DOD contract management, blogger Steve Kelman finds reason for hope.

People

TechStat: A new way of doing business in Washington?

There is a very tough balance to be sought in these "Stat" meetings between providing outside scrutiny to agency IT projects and the meetings' intended purpose as occasions for learning and improvement.

People

Crowdsourcing for social service

A social services-oriented program sponsored by Pepsi makes blogger Steve Kelman wonder about the potential role of crowdsourcing in government.

Digital Government

The dark side of crowdsourcing?

Crowds may have wisdom, but some crowdsourcing concepts could be turned to evil purposes, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

People

'Mystery shopper' technique could be effective counterterrorism tool

Steve Kelman writes that the government should use management tools to measure and improve its counterterrorism performance.

People

Do federal managers play favorites in career advancement?

Many workers think their managers promote based on favortism, but that's not necessarily so.

People

What's hot on campus? Performance measurement

Blogger Steve Kelman is happy to report that the Kennedy School of Government has seen a serious uptick in the number of students interested in the issue of performance measurement in government.

Digital Government

Google, China and Internet censorship

Blogger Steve Kelman reports on the reaction of the Chinese press to Google’s new stance on Internet censorship.

People

Govloop's acquisition forum gains traction

The forum is turning into a real meeting place for acquisition professionals to share ideas and get real-time feedback both on broad policy issues and specific projects.

People

Looking for new ways to attract young people to government

The Partnership for Public Service tries an interesting approach to filling entry-level jobs in critical areas, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

People

A new job description for supervisors

The government's current retirement wave is an opportunity to revitalize the supervisory function, writes Steve Kelman.