Barrett and Greene have done original research and writing in fields pertaining to state and local government and are columnists and correspondents for Governing Magazine where they founded the Government Performance Project. They are consultants to the Pew Charitable Trusts government performance unit, senior advisers to the Fels Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and contractors to Bloomberg's government work.

They have helped found, and serve on the boards, of two organizations: GovPerformance and the State Government Workforce Project. They have also served in an advisory capacity to many organizations including the National League of Cities, the Urban Institute, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board; the Association of Government Accountants, the Council of State Governments, the Center for a Better South and others.