We found that VHA has assigned  responsibility for succession planning and management initiatives to a  dedicated subcommittee, while DOL, the Census Bureau, and EPA have  councils or boards that are responsible for human capital more broadly,  including succession efforts. VHA has established a subcommittee and high-level positions that are  directly responsible for succession planning and management. VHA and the Census  Bureau specifically mention succession planning and management in their  executives’ performance plans. Agencies Have Begun to Link Succession Efforts to Their Strategic Goals

Leading organizations use succession planning and management as a  strategic planning tool that focuses on current and future needs and  develops pools of high-potential staff in order to meet the organization’s  mission over the long term. For example, DOL plans to shift from a historical  enforcement role to compliance assistance and consultation, requiring  stronger skills in communication and analysis. To attract and retain employees  with such skills, DOL launched the MBA Fellows program in 2002, which it  considers one of its major succession development programs. VHA, EPA, and DOL have identified gaps in occupations or competencies in  their mission-critical workforce to achieve their goals, have undertaken  strategies to address these gaps, and plan to or are taking steps to monitor  their progress. Enhanced Coordination and Evaluation of Training and Development Programs Could Help Leverage Scarce Resources

Effective training and development programs can enhance the federal  government’s ability to achieve results. Recognizing this, leading agencies look for opportunities to  coordinate and share their efforts and create synergies through  benchmarking with others, achieving economies of scale, limiting  duplication of efforts, and enhancing the effectiveness of programs, among  other things. Performance Measures Can Help Agencies Assess Programs’ Effects on Organizational Capacity

Decision makers need credible information to justify training and  development programs’ value. All of the selected agencies have recognized the  importance of diversity to a successful workforce and use succession  planning and management efforts to enhance their workforce diversity. Conclusions

The Census Bureau, DOL, EPA, and VHA have all implemented succession  planning and management efforts that collectively are intended to  strengthen organizational capacity. By not monitoring more closely and at a higher level than line  managers, the Bureau may not know how to best focus its succession  planning efforts, and ultimately how well it is prepared for major tasks,  such as the 2010 Decennial Census. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To review how federal agencies are implementing succession planning and  management efforts, we selected the Department of Labor (DOL), the  Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Environmental Protection  Agency (EPA), and the Census Bureau for our review. These agencies represent  an array of organizational structures, missions, and succession challenges.
Why GAO Did This Study

As the federal government confronts an array of challenges in the 21st century, it must employ strategic human capital management, including succession planning, to help meet those challenges. Leading organizations go beyond a succession planning approach that focuses on replacing individuals and engage in broad, integrated succession planning and management efforts that focus on strengthening current and future organizational capacity. GAO reviewed how the Census Bureau, Department of Labor (DOL), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are implementing succession planning and management efforts.

What GAO Found

The Census Bureau, DOL, EPA, and VHA have all implemented succession planning and management efforts that collectively are intended to strengthen organizational capacity. However, in light of governmentwide fiscal challenges, the agencies have opportunities to enhance some of their succession efforts. While all of the agencies have assigned responsibility for their succession planning and management efforts to councils or boards, VHA has established a subcommittee and high-level positions that are directly responsible for its succession efforts. Also, VHA and the Census Bureau specifically mention succession planning and management as performance expectations in their executives' performance plans. The four agencies have begun to link succession efforts to strategic planning. For example, DOL plans to shift from a historical enforcement role to a compliance assistance and consulting role, requiring stronger skills in communication and analysis. To attract and retain employees with such skills, DOL launched the Masters in Business Administration Fellows program in 2002, which it considers one of its major succession training and development programs. Monitoring mission-critical workforce needs helps make informed planning decisions. DOL, EPA, and VHA have identified gaps in occupations or competencies, have undertaken strategies to address these gaps, and are planning or are taking steps to monitor their progress in closing these gaps. The Census Bureau could strengthen the monitoring of its mission-critical occupations more closely and at a higher level to ensure it is prepared for the 2010 Decennial Census. Effective training and development programs can enhance the federal government's ability to achieve results. All of the agencies' succession efforts include training and development programs at all organizational levels. However, in the current budget environment, there are opportunities to coordinate and share these programs and create synergies through benchmarking with others, achieving economies of scale, limiting duplication of efforts, and enhancing the effectiveness of programs, among other things. Performance measures for these programs can also help agencies evaluate these programs' effects on organizational capacity and justify their value. Finally, agencies have recognized the importance of diversity to a successful workforce and use succession planning and management to enhance their workforce diversity.