05-19-2016, 08:15 PM
It is true that you cannot run the government in the same way that you would run a business. ( For one thing, the government does not have normal risk of going bankrupt).
I had the rewarding experience of working in a relatively new government agency that was managed in an effective and efficient manner for about 20 years. Then budgets increased dramatically, and management shifted from a technical driven focus to a primarily ‘politically’ driven mode. This resulted in a clear reduction in efficiency and a loss in effectiveness as well.
- My conclusion from this is that most government functions( except critical ones such as defense , social security/Medicare, infrastructure, etc) should have a finite lifetime (~ 30 years ) and every agency should then be abolished or restarted( from scratch) by Congress on a case by case basis as required.
There have been hundreds , if not thousands, of studies on government operations with little to show for this. However, there should be a way to improve operations by focusing on best practices in government and industry. Following is a recent article that caught my attention.
I had the rewarding experience of working in a relatively new government agency that was managed in an effective and efficient manner for about 20 years. Then budgets increased dramatically, and management shifted from a technical driven focus to a primarily ‘politically’ driven mode. This resulted in a clear reduction in efficiency and a loss in effectiveness as well.
- My conclusion from this is that most government functions( except critical ones such as defense , social security/Medicare, infrastructure, etc) should have a finite lifetime (~ 30 years ) and every agency should then be abolished or restarted( from scratch) by Congress on a case by case basis as required.
There have been hundreds , if not thousands, of studies on government operations with little to show for this. However, there should be a way to improve operations by focusing on best practices in government and industry. Following is a recent article that caught my attention.
Quote:http://www.federaltimes.com/story/govern.../22744077/
… "Organizational project management along with project, program and portfolio management best practices just make sense. They can reduce government agencies costs by 20-30 percent, according to the 2010 PMI report Program Management 2010:A study of program management in the U.S. Federal Government.”…
… "One of the most essential—and simple—ways to make the government a more efficient steward of taxpayer funds is by instilling organizational project management leading practices already proven in both the private and public sectors. The following initiatives are ongoing demonstrations of effectively improving program management”…
… whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Phil 4:8 (ESV)