The Data Act winding its way through Congress is designed to increase transparency and accountability for federal agency spending. It borrows much from the reporting set-up established by the 2009 Recovery Act. The Data Act has passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. One watchdog group, the Sunlight Foundation, says the bill packs quite a punch. Part of that punch will ding federal managers responsible for all of the reporting it will require.

No matter how strong or weak the economy, there’s always stiff competition for the best workers. The federal government has tidied up the time it takes to hire people. But pay freezes and threatened cuts to benefits might be putting off would-be applications. And yet the government needs to recruit and retain talent as never before.

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Despite reform, federal hiring process could be simpler

Federal leaders are emphasizing data as the best way to measure performance. Our next guest says the focus should be on the people, not the facts. Granham says knowledge enables performance. It can help people be agile and succeed in a challenging environment. She joins the Federal Drive to discuss how her theory applies to her work on diversity at the Coast Guard.