Agencies' strategic plans under GPRA: key questions to facilitate
Congressional
review. GAO\GGD-10.1.16. Washington: General Accounting Office, 1997. 35
pp. BPR228; also shelved at JK468.P75U54 1997. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/gpraqu.pdf (PDF only).
At the request of the Chairmen of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee, Committee
on Appropriations, and Committee on the Budget in the House of Representatives, GAO
developed a set of key initial questions to help Congress determine how strategic plans can be
improved to better support congressional and agency decisionmaking.
Building an organizational culture to help create and sustain a focus on results
remains a
work in progress. In The Government Performance and Results Act: 1997
governmentwide implementation will be uneven. , 76-89. Washington: General
Accounting Office, 1997. (Shelved at JK468.P75U54 1997g).
Changing organizational culture in the federal government in order to create and sustain a
results-orientation is ongoing.
The connection: linking IRM and mission performance.
Washington:
Association for Federal Information Resources Management, 1995.
The management of information resources is looked at in the context of GPRA; a framework is
provided for establishing a link between IRM and mission performance and identifing
implementation issues including IRM acquisition, unintended consequences, and time lag, always
highlighting the efforts of federal government oversight organizations.
Dees, J. Gregory. Enterprising nonprofits: what do you do when traditional sources
of funding fall short?Harvard Business Review
(January-February 1998): 54-67.
1/98 version: Faced with rising costs, more competition for fewer donations and grants, and
increased rivalry from for-profit companies entering the social sector, nonprofits are turning to the
commercial arena to leverage or replace their traditional sources of funding.The drive to become
more businesslike, however, holds many dangers for nonprofits. In the best of circumstances,
nonprofits face operational and cultural challenges in the pursuit of commercial funding. In the
worst, commercial operations can undercut an organization's social mission. To explore the new
possibilities of commercialization and to avoid its perils, nonprofit leaders need to craft their
strategies carefully. A framework - what the author calls the social enterprise spectrum - can help
such leaders understand and assess their options. Nonprofits first must identify potential sources
of earned income; then they should set clear and realistic financial objectives. Commercial
programs don't need to be profitable to be worthwhile. They can instead improve the efficiency
and the effectiveness of organizations by reducing the need for donated funds; by providing a
more reliable, diversified funding base; and by enhancing the quality of programs by instilling
market discipline. In the end, commercial operations will not - and should not - drive out
philanthropic initiatives. But thoughtful innovation in the social sector is essential if organizations
are to leverage limited philanthropic resources (Executive summary)
Department of Health and Human Services: management challenges and
opportunities. GAO\T-HEHS-97-98. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1997. 21 pp.(Shelved at RA395.A3H45 1997. Also available at http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/he97098t.htm).
Testimony highlights the challenges HHS faces in striving to meet its mission. First, HHS needs to
better define its mission, objectives and measures of success, and to increase its accountability to
taxpayers. GPRA presents HHS with opportunities to bring discipline to management at all levels
of the Department, define the kinds of information needed to implement and assess its programs,
and identify ways to progress toward accomplishing its goals. Second, HHS needs to ensure it has
the information systems necessary to manage and evaluate its programs and to track its progress
in meeting performance goals. Third, HHS must constantly combat fraud, waste, abuse, and
mismanagement.
Electronic College of Process Innovation: achieving breakthrough
improvement. Washington: Defense Department, 1996. CDROM Release 1.0
(May be accessed at http://www.dtic.mil/c3i/bprcd/).
Comprehensive collection of information on Business Process Reengineeering and Process
Innovation with TurboBPR, the desktop Business Reengineering Tool.
Electronic College of Process Innovation: achieving breakthrough
improvement. Arlington, VA: Defense Technical Information Center, 1997.
(Available Version 2.5 TurboBPR software at web URL: http://www.dtic.mil/c3i/bprcd and may
be ordered on CD-ROM from DTIC's Reference and Retrieval Division).
1/98 version. Electronic College of Process Innovation (ECPI) is the knowledge center for a
comprehensive set of documents, tools, and guidebooks on the topic of business process change
and creating customer value. The ECPI and the TurboBPR software, which is included in the
ECPI, assist government agencies with the requirements defined in the Information Technology
Management Reform Act (ITMRA) and the Government Performance Results Act
(GPRA).
Executive guide: effectively implementing the Government Performance and
Results
Act. Washington: General Accounting Office, 1996. 56 pp. (Shelved at JK421.U54
1996; companion to earlier GAP document entitled Executive guide: improving mission
performance through strategic information management and technology: learning from leading
organizations.).
Many of the management techniques employed by federal agencies are outdated and ineffective.
With the passage of the Government Performance and Results Act, the government hopes to
update its style and become more efficient. This executive guide looks at state and foreign
agencies for guidance, summarizing eleven fundamental practices which improve performance.
The guide reports that it is necessary to have a clearly stated mission, to measure performance to
gauge progress, and to use the information from performance in decision making.
Federal personnel management: views on selected NPR human resource
recommendations. GAO\GGD-95-221BR. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1996. 50 pp. (Shelved at JK469.U54 1995b).
This report provides information on the views of federal human resource officials regarding
National Performance Review (NPR) human resource recommendations. The findings indicate
that human resource officials are in favor of the flexibility that decentralization would offer, but
are concerned that NPR recommendations would add to their overall workload. NPR calls for
OPM oversight process to ensure compliance with the merit principles, whereas the agency
human resource officials believe the federal agencies can adequately oversee their own
performance measurement systems. OPM is working with agency offices to develop a set of
performance indicators to help agencies in monitoring their activities.
Gore, Al. Businesslike government: lessons learned from America's best
companies. Washington: National Performance Review, 1997. 115
1/98 version. Illustrated with DILBERT comic strips by Scott Adams, this report focuses on an
unheralded success: the way government is learning from the most successful American
businesses. Dozens of companies furthered the reinvention effort by sharing their successful
practices and working with us to implement them in the federal government. The report highlights
the achievements of these companies that have been emulated in the federal workplace (Version
of report's acknowledgments).
The Government Performance and Results Act: 1997 governmentwide
implementation will be uneven. GAO\GGD-97-109. Washington: General
Accounting Office, 1997. 116 pp. (Shelved at JK468.P75U54 1997g).
This report indicates that agencies are likely to meet the upcoming statutory deadlines for
producing initial strategic plans and annual performance plans, but that these documents will not
be of consistently high quality or as useful as they could be. The good news is that OMB has
selected over 70 performance planning and reporting pilots which can serve as role models.
Significant performance improvements follow the adoption of a disciplined approach to setting
results-oriented goals, measuring its performance, and using performance information to improve
effectiveness.
Information management performance measures: developing performance
measures
and management controls for migration systems, data standards, and process
improvement. Washington: National Academy of Public Administration for the
Department of Defense, 1996. xvi, 67 pp. (BPR227; also shelved at JK468.A8I5 1996 and
accessible on the web at http://www.dtic.dla.mil/c3i/bprcd/5538.htm).
Performance measurement is now recognized as a strategic foundation to help reach
organizational goals. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 set guidelines for
strategic planning and performance measurement across the federal government. This NAPA
study recommends that DoD respond to Congress with a performance management strategy and
action plan demonstrating top management commitment. Three areas of the automated
information systems were prioritized for performance measures and management controls:
migration systems, data standards, and process improvements.
Information Resources Management Plan of the Federal
Government.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1996. (Shelved at PrEx2.2:In 3/2/996).
This book discusses the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and the implications on
management within the government. This publication has many purposes; one purpose is to
encourage federal agencies to adopt plans and policies that meet the goal of the PRA. The book
also calls for an accounting of the agency paperwork reduction. Finally, the publication looks to
implement some of the practices of BPR to provide more effective and efficient
service.
IRS high-risk issues: modernization of processes and systems necessary to
resolve
problems. GAO\T-GGD-97-52. Washington: General Accounting Office, 1997. 17
pp. (Shelved at HJ3252.W55 1997).
IRS has for years struggled to collect tax revenues using outdated processes and technology. IRS
needs an implementation strategy that includes both cost-benefit analyses and reasonable estimates
of the extent, time frames and resources needed to correct its high-risk vulnerabilities. IRS needs
to better define, prioritize, and manage new information systems; ensure that its administrative
and revenue accounting systems fully comply with the federal government's accounting standards;
design and implement both administrative and electronic controls to protect taxpayer data from
unauthorized access; and develop performance measures that will allow its managers, Congress,
and GAO to track its progress.
Management reform: completion status of agency actions under the National
Performance Review. GAO\GGD-96-94. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1996. 83 pp. (Shelved at JK421.U56 1996).
GAO's objective was to assess the completion status of action items required under the National
Performance Review. Of 1203 action items, 77% were completed by January 16,
1996.
Managing for results: key steps and challenges in implementing GPRA in
science
agencies. GAO/T-GGD/RCED-96-214. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1996. 16 pp. (Shelved at JK421.S73 1996. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY96/abstracts/gg96214t.htm).
Most agencies are struggling to integrate mission-based goal-setting and performance
measurement requirements of the landmark Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
into their daily program operations. The three basic steps are: 1) define mission and desired
outcomes in order to set strategic and annual goals; 2) measure performance; and 3) use
performance. GPRA seeks to help those agencies which have been held back by fuzzy missions
and unclear goals. Performance measures should strengthen the connection between strategic
goals and the day-to-day activities of staff and make it possible for Congress to effectively
allocate budgets among competing programs.
Managing for results: enhancing the usefulness of GPRA consultations between
the
Executive Branch and Congress. GAO\T-GGD-97-56. Washington: General
Accounting Office, 1997. 17 pp. (Shelved at JK421.S73 1997. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/gg97056t.htm).
Under GPRA, each agency must consult with Congress about developing its strategic plan laying
out the agency's mission and long-term goals in order to submit its plans to Congress by
September 30, 1997. GAO's work on preliminary consultations suggests the general approaches
that have been used so far. These approaches include creating shared expectations, addressing
differing views, and establishing an iterative consultation process. The report is intended to
promote a basic understanding of the need to balance agency demands and resources.
Managing for results: using GPRA to assist Congressional and Executive
Branch
decisionmaking. GAO\T-GGD-97-43. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1997. 14 pp. (Also available at http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/gg97043t.htm).
This report on how Congress can use GPRA as it seeks to reduce government costs and improve
performance notes GPRA's focus on results due to the finding that many management-related
challenges stem from unclear agency missions, lack of results-oriented performance goals, the
absence of well-conceived agency strategies to meet goals, and the failure to gather and use
accurate, reliable, and timely program performance and cost information to measure progress in
achieving results.
Managing for results: regulatory agencies identified significant barriers to
focusing
on results. GAO\GGD-97-83; B-275122. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1997. 89 pp. (Shelved at JK468.P75U54 1997f. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/gg97083.htm).
Regulatory agencies are reported to be slow in moving to results-oriented management. Because
regulatory agencies find it difficult to isolate and measure their unique contribution to a result that
is affected by a variety of factors outside the agency, they find it difficult to develop solutions to
measurement problems in order to establish results-oriented goals and measures.
Managing for results: the statutory framework for improving federal
management
and effectiveness. GAO\T-GGD\AIMD-97-144. Washington: General Accounting
Office, 1997. 14 pp. (Shelved at JK421.H56 1997; Testimony before the Committee on
Appropriations and Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate by James F. Hinchman,
Acting Comptroller General. Available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/g197144t.htm).
This is a report on statutory framework to accomplish improved federal management with a
greater focus on results. The framework includes the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act,
information technology reform legislation especially the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, and the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Mihm, J. Christopher. GPRA and the new dialogue.Public
Manager 24, no.4 (Winter 1995-1996): 15-18.
The author notes the positive benefits accruing to organizations that focus on outcomes as
required by GPRA. Clarity of mission, achievement of outcomes, and systematic use of
performance information improve organizational effectiveness necessary for survival.
Paperwork reduction: burden reduction goal unlikely to be met.
GAO\T-GGD\RCED-96-186. Washington: General Accounting Office, 1996. 20 pp. (Shelved at
JK468.P34B76. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY96/abstracts/gg96186t.htm).
This GAO report covers governmentwide implementation of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, focusing on the Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is noted that between 1980 and 1995,
governmentwide paperwork burden hours increased from 1.5 billion to 6.9 billion, with the
Internal Revenue Service accounting for most of the paperwork burden. Agencies assert that
statutory requirements limit their ability to reduce paperwork burdens and that Congress should
more accurately calculate these agency burdens.
Performance budgeting: past initiatives offer insights for GPRA
implementation. GAO\AIMD-97-46. Washington: General Accounting Office,
1997. 54 pp. (Shelved at HJ2051.U54 1997. Also available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/ai97046.htm).
There is a need to explore what is to be expected of a performance budgeting system. The
Executive Branch and Congress must acknowledge that it takes time to develop goals, outcomes,
and measures that are valid and acceptable to a range of stakeholders. The report suggests using
GPRA as a vehicle to devise a framework that compares and integrates decisions that affect
related programs.
Reaching public goals: managing government for results.
Washington:
National Performance Review, 1996. 79 pp. (Shelved at JK421.N34 1996c).
This NPR resource guide is a review of best practices in federal, state, and local agencies
managing for results. The introduction gives a succinct description of the four major federal
statutes designed to improve accountability for results: the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993, the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, the Government Management Reform Act
of 1994, and the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996. The guide is
designed to point the reader in the right direction for obtaining how-to guides, step-by-step
instructions, lessons learned, and helpful tips from other public managers.
Regarding the reorganization of the Office of Records Services (NW):
questions and
answers. Washington: National Archives, Office of Records Services, 1997. 49 pp.
(Shelved at CD3023.Q4 1997).
1/98 version: This handbook displays organizational charts showing the structure of the new
Office of Records Services - Washington, DC (NW), followed by pages containing questions and
answers on a numbers of reorganization issues relating to the new structure and administration of
the office, the responsibilities of the various components of the office, and the relationships
between the four major programs.
Serving the American public: best practices in downsizing: Benchmarking
Study
Report. Washington: National Performance Review, 1997. (Shelved at
PrVp 42.2:D 75).
1/98 version: Public sector downsizings are primarily driven by budget reductions and technology
improvements that allow fewer workers to do the same amount of work. Following are some of
the highlights of the Downsizing Study Team's findings from their investigations fo benchmarked
organizations: senior leadership plays a vital role in downsizing; overcommunication (honest and
open communication) is impossible during downsizing; planning for downsizing begins with
getting the right people together; information not normally required in day-to-day operations
becomes critical during downsizing; successful planning includes the development of business
plans from various departments within the organization; identification of work processes that will
not be needed in the future organization is vital; incentives such as early retirement and buyouts
work well; the use of multiple strategies and techniques to accomplish goals for downsizing helps
to leverage the outcome; organizations that have successfully downsized provided career
transition assistance to both separated and surviving employees; and finally, monitoring progress
is a chief component of successful downsizing in order to learn from mistakes as well as
successes. The key conclusion of the report is that the success or failure of a downsized
organization depends on the workforce remaining after the downsizing.
Shoop, Tom. Gore's gamble: the Clinton Administration is banking on the Vice
President's National Performance Review to restore luster to government.Government Executive 25, no.7 (July 1993): 18-26. (BPR199).
The Clinton Administration is banking on the National Performance Review (NPR) to restore
luster to the government. Vice President Al Gore, who is running the review, explains its
objectives in an interview.
U.S. Postal Service: challenges to sustaining improved
performance.
GAO\T-GGD-97-53. Washington: General Accounting Office, 1997. 14 pp. (Shelved at
HE6371.M67 1997. Available at
http://www.gao.gov/AIndexFY97/abstracts/gg97053t.htm).
This is testimony focusing on the performance of the Postal Service, the need to improve internal
controls and protect revenues, and key reform and oversight issues that continue to challenge the
Postal Service and Congress.
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 • Telephone: 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272
