The President's Management Agenda

FY 2005 Performance and Accountability Report
Bureau of Resource Management
November 2005
Report

 

The President's Management Agenda (PMA) is the President's strategy for improving the management and performance of the federal government. The Department has made substantial progress on each of the five government-wide PMA initiatives, as well as on the two additional initiatives for which State plays a key role. Each quarter, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) releases an executive scorecard, which rates progress and overall status in each of the President's Management Agenda initiatives. The progress and status ratings use a color-coded system that is based on criteria determined by OMB and used by all agencies. Agency performance in specific areas is rated on the grading scale of red, yellow, and green. For more information on the PMA and the executive scorecard, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/results/.

The Department achieved green scores for progress on implementing each of the five government-wide PMA initiatives. With respect to overall status, the Department has made significant improvements in several areas, with the status scores for Strategic Management of Human Capital, Improved Financial Performance, and Budget and Performance Integration now at green. For the PMA initiatives in Competitive Sourcing, E-Government, and Federal Real Property Asset Management, the Department is currently at green for progress and yellow for status. E-Government went from green to yellow on status for the Fourth Quarter of FY 2005 because State did not meet e-Gov criteria on operations optimization and secure systems.

In addition, OMB designated the State Department as the principal implementing partner for the PMA initiative on a Rightsized Overseas Presence and Congress mandated the creation of the Office of Rightsizing the U.S. Government Overseas (M/R) within the Department. The Rightsizing initiative is now at green for progress and green for status. This initiative moved to double green because the Department: (1) established and implemented a rightsizing review process for all posts overseas; (2) focused on linking staffing to mission goals; (3) minimized duplication and promoted shared services and outsourcing; (4) established the Capital Security Cost Sharing program to have agencies pay pro-rata share of embassy construction costs; (5) established a strategic architecture for the regionalization and centralization of State Department support services, including the opening of the Frankfurt Regional Center; and (6) established an Office of Rightsizing to coordinate internal State and interagency rightsizing efforts. Our next challenges are to strengthen the rightsizing mechanisms now in place and systematically quantify outcomes and results.

The State Department develops its PMA performance goal milestones, which are integrated into Strategic Goal 12: Management and Organizational Excellence, through an annual deliberative process. This includes both agency initiative owners and OMB. Participants owning the PMA initiatives detail where they would be "Proud To Be" within one year, and then coordinate with OMB examiners to strategize how to best accomplish their goals through quarterly progress. OMB reviews this progress and issues its PMA government-wide scorecard summary. The Department, in consultation with OMB's International Affairs Division, fully articulated its "Proud To Be" goals for the third year of the PMA in August 2005.

The Stoplight Scoring System

OMB assesses agency progress and status for each PMA initiative. OMB's scorecard employs a simple scoring system common today in well-run businesses. Scoring is color-coded as follows:

 

THE STOPLIGHT SCORING SYSTEM
Score Progress Status
Green Implementation is proceeding according to plans agreed upon with the agency The Agency meets all of the scorecard standards for success
Yellow Some slippage or other appropriate issues require the agency to adjust operations to achieve objectives within timeframes The agency meets all the scorecard standards for success but some areas could slip absent management intervention
Red Initiative is in serious jeopardy; realizing objectives is unlikely absent significant management intervention The agency demonstrates any one of a number of serious flaws listed in the standards for success

The following is a brief overview of the Department's overall PMA progress:

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL

Progress: Green Status: Green

Goal

  • Build, sustain, and deploy effectively a skilled, knowledgeable, diverse, and high-performing workforce aligned with mission objectives and goals.

Progress

  • Fully implemented Civil Service (CS) Workforce Planning System for CS employees.
  • Registered 76% of all Foreign Service (FS) and CS in "Employee Profile +"
  • Collected data, developed reporting templates, populated on-line system to track and document HC results.
  • Implemented new promotion procedures for FS Generalists.
  • Completed Career Development plan (FS Generalists). Expanded to include Foreign Service and enhanced Civil Service opportunities.

Upcoming Actions

  • Report on mission critical occupations (FY 2005 data and projections).
  • Improve diversity/reduce under representation. Report FY 2005 hiring statistics.
  • Report status on Civil Service Performance Appraisal System.
  • Report progress on Mandatory Leadership and Management training and assess needs beyond 2006.
  • Complete IT competency gap assessment and gap closure plan.
  • Negotiate with unions for new CS Performance Appraisal System and prepare request for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approval.
  • Report progress on family employment activities.
  • With OPM, determine elements necessary for strengthening Agency accountability system.

 

IMPROVED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Progress: Green Status: Green

Goal

  • World-class financial services that support strategic decision-making, mission performance, and improved accountability to the American people.

Progress

  • Modified structure, composition and duties of Management Control Steering Committee (MCSC) to facilitate implementation of Revised OMB Circular A-123.
  • Issued interim financial statements for the quarter ending June 30, 2005.
  • State and USAID installed production Joint Financial Management System (JFMS) hardware in Charleston, SC to support USAID operations.
  • Continued to expand the content and use of financial data to inform the management decision-making process.
  • State and USAID successfully upgraded to Momentum 6.02 for JFMS. Efforts included collaboration on software conversion utilities, procedures, configuration setups and post-implementation monitoring.

Upcoming Actions

  • Issue final report and recommendation for migrating Consolidated American Payroll Processing System to the National Finance Center (NFC).
  • Address auditor-identified material weaknesses in internal control relating to personal property and information systems security.
  • Implement requirements of revised OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A in accordance with plan submitted to OMB.
  • Report improper payments program results and recovery audit efforts in the FY 2005 PAR.
  • Implement first E-Travel pilot in Charleston, SC.
  • Move USAID financial system database to Charleston, SC, and begin production JFMS operations.

 

COMPETITIVE SOURCING

Progress: Green Status: Yellow

Goal

  • Achieve efficient, effective competition between public and private sources and establish infrastructure to support competitions.

Progress

  • Announced standard competition for Human Resources/Career Assignments Technicians.
  • Continuing to work with OMB to obtain approval of State's FAIR Act Inventory.
  • Began drafting Performance Work Statement for motor-pool drivers.
  • Conducted industry day for Multimedia Services Competition.
  • Completed streamlined competition for language instruction.
  • Announced and completed streamlined competition for TV Broadcast Technicians.

Upcoming Actions

  • Publish solicitation for MMS competition, subject to resolution of issues.
  • Issue draft solicitation for Career Assignments Competition (standard competition).
  • Work with OMB to get approval for State's FAIR Act Inventory.
  • Issue draft solicitation on MMS competition pending OMB approval of waivers.

 

BUDGET AND PERFORMANCE INTEGRATION

Progress: Green Status: Green

GOAL

  • Improve the performance and management of the federal government by linking performance to budget decisions and improve performance tracking and management. The ultimate goal is better control of resources and greater accountability over results.

Progress

  • Submitted draft pilot performance Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ) for two accounts to OMB for review.
  • Included PART Ratings and Substantive Analysis in Account Justification section of draft Performance Budget Submission.
  • Submitted OMB Exhibit 300 for joint State-USAID performance planning system.
  • Rolled out the Global Affairs Dashboard to select bureau users.
  • Provided final FY 2004 Efficiency Measure Report with 4th Quarter deliverables package.
  • Continued to track status of PART findings and recommendations.

Upcoming Actions

  • Produce PART Scores and Ratings Reports.
  • Include PART ratings and substantive analysis in account justification section of draft performance budget submission.
  • Further develop pilot CBJ format in coordination with OMB.
  • Provide documentation highlighting bureau Quarterly Management Reports (QMRs) that were used in internal budget decision-making process to OMB and senior managers within the Department.
  • Integrate select USAID performance data into Global Affairs Dashboard.

 

EXPANDED ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT

Progress: Green Status: Yellow

GOAL

  • Expand the federal government's use of electronic technologies (such as e-procurements, e-grants, and e-regulation), so that Americans can receive high-quality government service.

Progress

  • Submitted quarterly report stating the agency has no IT acquisitions duplicative of e-Gov initiatives.
  • Submitted e-Gov/Line of Business/SmartBuy Implementation and Alignment Quarterly Milestones Report to OMB on September 15th.
  • Posted 100% of eligible Grants on Grants.gov and ensured that at least 25% are available for on-line application.
  • Completed Department of State/U.S. Agency for International Development Joint Enterprise Architecture Communications Strategy.
  • Completed Privacy Impact Assessments on all applicable IT systems to meet FY 2007 requirements before submitting the budget.
  • Awarded the first Department enterprise-wide contract renewal of ORACLE under the e-Gov SmartBuy program.
  • Provided OMB draft of the Department's Earned Value Management System Framework.

Upcoming Actions

  • Incorporate Performance Reference Model into the Joint Enterprise Architecture.
  • Develop Comprehensive Department Earned Value Management System policies and fully implement plan by December 31, 2005.
  • Map Data Architecture to the Federal Enterprise Architecture Business Reference Model.

 

FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Progress: Green Status: Yellow

GOAL

  • To promote the efficient and economical use of America's real property assets.

Progress

  • Asset Management Plan: State submitted a State and USAID consolidated plan.
  • Inventory and Performance Measures: Completed the collection of all necessary Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) inventory and performance measures (e.g., cost, condition, utilization) for buildings and structures.
  • Submitted a data validation procedure to ensure the quality of the data reported to the FRPC database in the first quarter of FY 2006.
  • State and USAID have agreed to expand the original OMB-approved Asset Management Plan and have begun to make revisions based upon comments from OMB.

Upcoming Actions

  • Provide evidence that State continues to implement the previously approved Asset Management Plan.
  • Coordinate efforts with USAID to submit a draft USAID Asset Management Plan by November 15 and a final joint State/USAID plan by December 15, 2005.
  • Coordinate efforts with USAID to ensure that all FRPC data on USAID assets is captured in the Real Property Application database.
  • Submit complete draft of FY 2006-FY 2011 Long Range Overseas Buildings Plan.

 

Right-Sized Overseas Presence

The President has emphasized the importance of security, efficiency, and accountability in U.S. Government staffing overseas by identifying Rightsizing as part of the President's Management Agenda. Rightsizing is ensuring that the mix of U.S. Government agencies and personnel overseas is appropriately aligned with foreign policy priorities, security concerns, and overall resource constraints. OMB is leading this PMA initiative. It is included in this report due to its importance to the Department of State.

 

RIGHT-SIZED OVERSEAS PRESENCE (OMB LEAD)

Progress: Green Status: Green

GOAL

  • Reconfigure U.S. Government overseas staff allocation to the minimum necessary to meet U.S. foreign policy goals.
  • Have a government-wide comprehensive accounting of total overseas personnel costs and accurate mission, budget, and staffing information.
  • Ensure that accurate projected staffing patterns determine embassy construction needs.

Progress

  • Submitted Regionalization Shared Service Architecture and migration plan to OMB to create lines of business and systematically regionalize or centralize support functions from all overseas posts for the next three years, starting with critical danger posts in FY 2006.
  • Submitted draft five-year Post Rightsizing review schedule/plan to OMB.
  • Submitted FY 2007 and FY 2006 Rightsizing Review Report for staffing projections for New Embassy Construction (NEC) projects.
  • OMB guidance (A-11) includes requirement for agencies to report on overseas positions and costs for the FY 2007 budget submission.
  • M/R submitted a draft proposal on regional cost distribution system for International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) system to the ICASS Executive Board.

Upcoming Actions

  • Complete draft of Rightsizing Review Standard Operating Procedures.
  • Submit Global Staffing Matrix, outlining approved, disapproved, pending, new position, reduction, or realignment. NSDD-38 and State equivalent data on overseas staffing changes to be included.
  • Develop a performance standard for the NSDD-38 process.
  • Submit FY 2006 financial plan for the Office of Rightsizing.
  • Expand Model for Overseas Management Support services to additional pilot posts.

 


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