In  addition, the Bureau has focused on a key set of principles and  priorities at the outset of the transformation, by including in its  change-strategy documents not only explicit reliance on the guiding  principles for the 2020 Census, but specific principles to guide the  transformation itself, such as “make data-driven decisions,” “be  responsive and transparent to decennial staff and stakeholders,” and  “focus on an efficient and resilient organization.” The Bureau has also  created a high-level transformation timeline to build momentum and  show progress that includes milestones such as staff workshops and  deliverables such as multiyear roadmaps. Specifically, the amount of change- related activity being planned may not be aligned with the resources the  Bureau has allocated to plan, coordinate, and carry them out. As shown in figure 3, the Bureau is taking steps to plan the 2020 Census  generally consistent with two of the five key practices we identified and  partially consistent with the other three. For example, early on, from June  2009 to November 2010, the Bureau began the practice to develop a  project plan by issuing a series of eight 2020 planning memorandumsthat laid out a framework documenting goals, assumptions, and timing of  the remaining four phases of 2020 Census. The Bureau also created a  high-level schedule of program management activities for the remaining  four phases, documented key elements such as the Bureau’s decennial  mission, vision, and six guiding principles, and produced a business plan  to support budget requests, which is being updated annually. But,  current Bureau plans provide inadequate detail on when key decisions  will need to be made to support transition between the planning phases. Regarding the involvement of stakeholders in 2020 Census planning,  according to senior Bureau officials, there has been little effective  outreach by the Bureau to inform congressional staff about the scope of  topics the Bureau has planned as part of its approach to fundamentally  reexamine how it conducts a census. Congressional support—regardless of  the approach ultimately selected—is crucial for creating a stable  environment in which to prepare for the census. For example, the Bureau  has begun to identify current and future critical occupations by  piloting a skills and competency assessment of selected IT 2020 Census  positions, including those for 2020 Census research and testing. Still, the Bureau could do more to implement its strategic workforce  planning consistent with key leading practices. The Bureau is generally or partially following most leading practices in the  management areas of organizational transformation, long-term project  planning, and strategic workforce planning—positioning itself well during  this early phase of planning for the 2020 Census. Much of the Bureau’s  early progress is visible in its plans for additional activity over the coming  months; equally important will be the need to finalize these plans and  execute these activities in a timely manner to maintain the Bureau’s early  momentum toward a cost-effective 2020 Census. It will be important for the Bureau to take additional steps to further  implement leading practices in each of the three management areas we  reviewed. Finally, for strategic  workforce planning, it will be important that the Bureau set agency  workforce goals so that it can determine how to monitor, report, and  evaluate its progress toward achieving those goals. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Secretary of Commerce require the Under  Secretary for Economic Affairs who oversees the Economics and  Statistics Administration, as well as the Director of the U.S. Census  Bureau, to take the following six actions to improve the Bureau’s process  of organizational transformation, long-term planning, and strategic  workforce planning for the 2020 Census, and thus better position the  Bureau to carry out a cost-effective decennial census:  1. 2. In order to ensure prioritization and timely completion of all necessary  research and testing efforts, as well as timely transition to later 2020  Census phases, develop and implement a long-term planning  schedule that includes key milestones and deadlines, including deadlines for decisions that directly affect activity in later 2020 a schedule for creating, revising, or updating governance,  program management, and system engineering and architecture  plans to be used in later 2020 Census phases beyond research  and testing; and expected times of delivery for Bureau-wide enterprise tools,  processes, and standards that 2020 Census planning would be  expected to use. The Department of  Commerce concurred with our findings and recommendations. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our review were to assess the extent to which the U.S.  Census Bureau’s (Bureau) 2020 Directorate and its Research and  Planning Office are taking steps consistent with leading practices for  organizational transformation, long-term project planning, and strategic  workforce planning. Begin reporting  on Bureau’s  progress toward  workforce goals.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAOs prior work has shown that it will be important for the Bureau to reexamine its management and culture as well as the fundamental design of the census in order to ensure a costeffective census. The Bureau recognizes this and has taken steps in at least three management areas toward achieving these goals. As requested, this report addresses the extent to which the Bureau is taking steps in accordance with selected leading practices that GAO identified for (1) organizational transformation, (2) long-term project planning, and (3) strategic workforce planning in preparing for the 2020 Census. To meet these objectives, GAO identified leading practices in these areas that are relevant to the Bureaus 2020 Census planning, reviewed Bureau documents, and interviewed officials.

What GAO Found

The Census Bureaus (Bureau) early planning and preparation efforts for the 2020 Census are consistent with most leading practices in each of the three management areas GAO reviewed. For example, with respect to its effort to transform its decennial organization, top Bureau leadership has been driving the transformation, and the agency has focused on a key set of principles as it begins to roll-out the strategy to staff. Furthermore, the Bureau has created a timeline to build momentum and show progress. At the same time, however, the amount of change-related activity the Bureau is considering as part of its reorganization of its decennial directorate may not be aligned with the resources the Bureau has allocated to plan, coordinate, and carry it out, and, as a result, the planned transformation efforts may not be sustainable or successful.
Similarly, the Bureau is taking steps consistent with many of the leading practices for long-term project planning, such as by, among other activities, issuing its series of 2020 planning memorandums in 2009 and 2010 that laid out a highlevel framework documenting goals, assumptions, and timing of the remaining four phases of the 2020 Census. The Bureau also created a high-level schedule of program management activities for the remaining phases, documented key elements such as the Bureaus decennial mission, vision, and guiding principles, and produced a business plan to support budget requests, which is being updated annually. Still, the Bureaus schedule does not include milestones or deadlines for key decisions needed to support transition between the planning phases, which could result in later downstream planning activity not being based on evidence from such sources as early research and testing. Furthermore, there has been little effective outreach to the Bureaus congressional stakeholders about its reexamination of census processes and design, which could result in a lack of support on potentially complex or sensitive topics that can be crucial for creating a stable environment in which to prepare for a census.
In the area of strategic workforce planning, the Bureau is taking steps consistent with leading practices such as by identifying current and future critical occupations with a pilot assessment of the skills and competencies of selected information technology 2020 Census positions. However, the Bureau has done little yet either to identify the goals that should guide workforce planning or to determine how to monitor, report, and evaluate its progress toward achieving them, which could help the Bureau identify and avoid possible barriers to implementing its workforce plans.
The steps the Bureau has taken and has planned are positioning it well during this early phase of planning for the 2020 Census. Since much of the Bureaus early progress is tied to additional planning and other activity needed over the coming months, equally important will be the need to execute these activities in a timely manner to maintain the Bureaus early momentum toward a cost-effective 2020 Census.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Census Director take a number of actions to make 2020 Census planning more consistent with key practices in the three management areas, such as examining planned transformation activity to ensure its alignment with resources, developing a more-detailed long-term schedule to smooth transition to later planning phases, implementing effective congressional outreach to ensure a stable planning environment, and setting workforce planning goals and monitor them to ensure their attainment.
The Department of Commerce concurred with GAOs findings and recommendations and provided minor clarifications, which were included in the final report.