Citizens are demanding ethical and responsible government. Now, more than ever it is extremely important that programs and services using public funds are accountable and effective. Anything less is unacceptable. We need to ask those who seek to lead our government some tough questions. How will government become accountable and effective? How can we maintain some compassion without encouraging unhealthy dependency? How can we as citizens know that our government is not spending money on unnecessary items, staffing or projects with little value to our citizens, communities and economy? Government functions must be measured against standards, but what standards do we use?

There are multiple ways to answer these questions. The most crucial factor is how we determine the standards to measure our progress. Business and public administration, statistics and accounting academic worlds can offer a myriad of possible measurement tools. Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, World Class Service, GASB, and Management by Objectives to just name a few. Many of these tools have been proven in the private sector. One particular approach, called lean thinking has been very successful in manufacturing and has in recent years been successfully adapted for use in the public sector.