How we measure success, Part III - Open Government

Late last year, the White House issued a directive to all federal agencies requiring several initiatives to engage the public. This;Open Government Directiv- is a roadmap for increased transparency, collaboration, and participation on the part of federal agencies.

As part of the directive, agencies must create an Open Government Plan that incorporates public feedback. To meet this requirement, 24 of the major federal agencies launched citizen engagement tools to solicit feedback for their Open Government Plans.

Members of the Business.gov Community who have ideas for government openness are encouraged to participate. Even if you do-t have an idea for open government, you can vote on which ideas yo'd like to see included in the agency plan. Keep in mind that these sites are focused on how agencies should provide data and online tools to the public.

Here are links to the participating agencies that Business.gov most often refers to:

• Small Business Administration [Business.go's home base]
• Department of Commerce [includes the Census, Minority Business Development Agency, Patent and Trademark Office, International Trade Administration, etc.]
• Environmental Protection Agency
• General Services Administration
• Department of Labor [includes Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, etc.]
• Department of the Treasury [includes the IRS, etc.]

Now through March 19, 2010, agencies are accepting ideas for inclusion in their Open Government Plan. Although each agency has its own process for including ideas, all are subject to the constraint of laws, regulations, and resources.

This historic effort is a recognition that there great ideas outside our four walls. If you have an idea about how the government can be more collaborative, your participation will be critical to the success of this initiative.

Additional resources

Learn more about the Open Government Directive

See agency progress toward OpenGov milestones

Other articles in this series

How we measure success, Part I

How we measure success, Part II