02/07/07 Managing for Excellence

The new commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation says he wants that agency to be more efficient and more transparent. Bob Johnson wants to give his customers better service and he says that can be accomplished through an action plan dubbed "Managing for Excellence." JOHNSON "We had the National Academy of Science come in a little over a year ago maybe a year and a half ago and take a hard look at Reclamation, gather a lot of data and information, give recommendations back to us on areas where we can improve." The report is now being examined by 41 different teams within the Bureau of Rec. Johnson says they're looking at all of their operations and employees. JOHNSON "How much technical expertise should we have? How much of our work should be done in house? How much should be done under contract? How can we make sure we're retaining the kind of continuity in our programs over time, that we have succession plans, that we have management plans in place to make sure that when people leave and retire that we've got people in place in the organization that can carry that on." He says the process they're going through today will eventually become part of the management framework, it will be carried over in less than two years by a new administration in the White House and a new person holding Johnson's job at commissioner. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott