Management Reform: Test Your Knowledge
OK, let's test your memories: Below is a quotation from a president about his management reform effort. Can you fill in the blanks with the correct name of the crusade (and, for bonus points, name the president)?
This coming week I'll bring my senior appointees together at the White House to continue an ambitious program to upgrade management of the Federal Government. Our long-range goal is to overhaul the entire administrative system. I call this effort _______________. It's a big job. Our government has ... personnel in over 22,000 buildings, using 19,000 computers, 330 differing financial systems, and 200 payroll systems, and there's never been an effective effort to manage this growing administrative monster.Each year we've fallen behind the private sector in management techniques. Well, we're bringing this to an end now. _______________ is geared to get results. Over a 6-year period, it'll save the taxpayers or result in a better use of tens of billions of dollars that could mean as much as the equivalent of nearly $2,000 for the average American family. And these savings won't be obtained by cutting help to the deserving but by eliminating waste and inefficiency.
Use the comments field to supply your answer. (Here's a tip: Shortly, there will be a big clue posted elsewhere on GovernmentExecutive.com.)
And remember, in the world of bureaucratic reform, everything old is new again.
Update: As the comments make pretty clear, the correct answer is Reform 88 and Ronald Reagan. In retrospect, the bit about more federal buildings than computers was kind of a giveaway. Thanks to all for playing.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
bill clinton
reinventing govenment
GovExec Reader Posted Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:04 PMReform 88
Ronald Reagan
1983
CR Posted Thursday, October 23, 2008 4:10 PMReform 88
Navy Civilian Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 7:10 AMI agree it is Bill Clinton" reinventing government
PLT in PA Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 7:49 AMreforming government
george bush Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 8:27 AMI agree with the Reagan nominees. The clue is there were fewer computers than buildings. This had to be from the early to mid-80's when mainframes started to be displaced by small 'personal computers'.
JB Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 8:48 AMBy the time Clinton came along, I am sure there were more than 19,000 computers at NIH, just one part of HHS.
It may have even been Carter. Those were the days when the thinking was that computers had to be bigger to be better, networking protocols weren't developed, so you would try to consolidate computers for efficiency.
Reform 88
Sharon R Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 8:51 AMRonald Reagan
It Reagan - Reform 88
Valerie Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 10:13 AMNational Performance Review Bill Clinton
pat Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 10:53 AMPres. Ronald Reagan in a July 30, 1983 "Radio Address to the Nation on Organ Donorship and on Reform 88" had the exact quotes in your challenge. The blanks are "Reform 88" and the ... are "over 2.8 million civilian and 2 million active military"
TS Posted Friday, October 24, 2008 1:53 PM