Please join us for our next brown bag -- Are Federal Managers Using Evidence in Decision Making? -- with the US Government Accountability Office's Strategic Issues Team and Applied Research and Methods Team. 

This brown bag will be held on Wednesday, November 1 from 12:00-1:30pm at the IBM Center for the Business of Government (600 14th Street NW, 2nd Floor). Please register by October 30. 

WE members also have access to the members-only call-in number. When registering, please indicate if you will be attending the presentation in person or using the conference line (members can access call-in information here).

Abstract

GAO has previously found that when agencies use evidence—such as performance information and program evaluations—in decision making, it leads to improved performance and results. However, GAO continues to find a lack of widespread adoption. Most recently, for the sixth time since 1997, GAO surveyed a random sample of federal managers on a variety of organizational performance and management issues.

This session will focus on key survey results, including trends over time, for selected items on the prevalence and use of performance measurement and program evaluations in decision making. Based on these results, GAO made recommendations to OMB to improve the use of evidence in federal agencies.

The survey results are discussed in three separate GAO products: GAO-17-775 focuses on performance measurement and results-oriented cultures; GAO-17-743 focuses on program evaluation; and GAO-17-776SP provides the full survey results.

Please join us to discuss the issues raised in these reports. We look forward to your views on how to help ensure agencies obtain the evidence needed to address important questions to improve program implementation and performance.

Presenters

GAO staff presenting on these issues include:

Strategic Issues Team

Shannon Finnegan, Assistant Director; Benjamin Licht, Assistant Director; Peter Beck, Senior Analyst; Adam Miles, Senior Analyst; Shane Spencer, Analyst; Brian Wanlass, Analyst

Applied Research and Methods Team

Stephanie Shipman, Assistant Director; Valerie Caracelli, Senor Social Science Analyst