People want more accountability out of U.S. federal government programs, according to a new study. Conducted by Primavera, Government 2.0--The Performance Opportunity reveals "that both federal managers and average Americans are calling for management reform in the next administration."
    Some of the key takeaways from the online survey of 3,868 members of the general public and 382 federal managers, included:

• 75% of Americans would like the government to notify them when a program goes over budget, why it went over budget and how they will fix the problem
• 65% of federal managers suggest a standardized system for reporting and tracking project updates and changes
• 55% of federal managers recommend a standardized system for reporting project problems in real time

    So what's so interesting? First of all, I think the ideas behind the findings are something that can be applied to project managers around the globe, not just ones in the United States.
    And it is just more proof that project management adds value--and that it's not something that just project managers see. Even though the general public may not know all the proper terms, they understand the basic concepts behind project management. They are the stakeholders and they want full transparency. And they understand the value accountability brings.