Keeping programs on schedule and on target will keep getting more important as budgets get tighter. Horace Blackman, acting senior adviser and benefits consumer advocate at the Veterans Affairs Department, was on a panel Francis moderated yesterday that talked about program-management lessons learned, hosted by AFFIRM. After the panel, Francis asked Blackman what he thinks the most important part of program management is in the current environment.

At the beginning of President Obama’s second term, some of the promises he made at the start of his first term are still unfinished. He promised to make the government cool to attract young talent. But public opinion polls show citizens think the government is less “cool” than ever. Tim McManus, vice president for education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service, joins In Depth to discuss the government’s lack of cool and how it can change that.