John M. Bernard

Recent Articles

• Fixing a Process that No Longer Makes Sense
• Feb 21, 2013
• An Oregon agency found ways to cut the time it takes to do background checks by more than half. With inefficient processes and duplicative services rife in government, that's just the beginning of the journey.
• 7 Comments

• Leading the Way on 'Lean'
• Nov 13, 2012
• Washington state has made one of government's strongest commitments to this approach to government efficiency, one that's likely to survive a change in administrations.

• The Opening Door to Government Transformation
• Oct 15, 2012
• When the elections are over, a new crop of leaders will face the same old challenges. Let's hope they will approach those challenges with new thinking.
• 1 Comments

• Delivering Services with Agility and Flexibility
• Sep 25, 2012
• Oregon has a unique approach to designing its health-care programs: a management system that aims to eliminate silos.
• 1 Comments

• What’s Your Magic Number?
• Aug 1, 2012
• Organizations usually have just a few leading indicators -- sometimes a single number -- that will predict success or identify problems.

• Our Efficiency-Killing Tangle of Laws
• Jun 19, 2012
• Governments produce tens of thousands of new laws every year, confusing citizens and driving business away. Instead of more laws, what we need is a focus on outcomes.
• 8 Comments

• The Unintended Benefits of Measuring Performance
• Jun 1, 2012
• Just putting measurement tools in place can improve existing processes — not months or years down the road, but right away.
• 4 Comments

• The Value of Data for Oregon’s Troubled Youth
• May 3, 2012
• A corrections agency’s effort to use data on what works to inform its professionals’ decisions promises better outcomes for those in its care.

• Who Owns Government Efficiency?
• Mar 19, 2012
• Professional managers will always be key, but lawmakers who care about efficient government can have a big role to play.
• 6 Comments