PIC. GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 Requirements for Reporting on Cross-Agency  Priority Goal Progress  Make available on the website Performance.gov:  1. 7. Provide ongoing guidance and assistance to CAP goal teams. Another way OMB and the PIC are  increasing leadership attention of CAP goal implementation is by  committing to hold regularly scheduled senior-level meetings to review  CAP goal progress. Selected CAP Goal Teams Have Met Many GPRAMA Reporting Requirements, but Most Have Not Established Quarterly Targets

Based on GPRAMA requirements, we identified five broad actions that  CAP goal teams follow to implement a goal: (1) establish the goal, (2)  identify goal leaders and contributors, (3) develop strategies and  performance measures, (4) use performance information to make  decisions and improve performance, and (5) report results. Smarter IT Delivery CAP goal. People and Culture CAP goal. Selected CAP Goal Teams Can Be More Transparent about the Status of Their Efforts to Develop Performance Measures

All of the goal teams we reviewed reported efforts to develop  performance measures as part of their strategy to improve performance  of these complex and crosscutting issues. We found  that OMB’s updated guidance to CAP goal teams and the quarterly  reporting template have assisted goal teams in managing implementation  of the goals and in meeting the GPRAMA reporting requirements. We found that CAP goal teams are meeting a number of GPRAMA  reporting requirements, including identifying contributors and reporting  quarterly results and milestones. We generally found that the goal teams are aligning  their quarterly activities with longer-term strategies to achieve the desired  goal outcomes. Further, all of the selected CAP goal teams reported that  they are working to develop performance measures, and are at various  stages of the process. Given OMB’s, the PIC’s, and CAP  goal teams’ emphasis on developing measures that are relevant and well  defined, greater transparency is needed to track goal team’s efforts  quarterly. With improved performance  information, the CAP goal teams will be better positioned to demonstrate  the progress that they are making, and will help ensure goal achievement  at the end of the 4-year goal period in 2018. Recommendation for Executive Action

To improve the transparency of public reporting on CAP goal progress,  we recommend that the Director of OMB, working with the PIC, take the  following action:
Report on Performance.gov the actions that CAP goal teams are  taking, or plan to take, to develop performance measures and  quarterly targets. OMB staff generally agreed with the recommendation in the report, and  provided us with technical clarifications, which we have incorporated as  appropriate. The objectives of this report are to assess (1) the  extent to which lessons learned from implementing the interim cross- agency priority (CAP) goals were incorporated into the governance of the  current CAP goals; (2) the extent to which GPRAMA requirements for  reporting on CAP goal progress are included in the selected CAP goal  quarterly progress updates; and (3) the initial reported progress in  implementing the selected CAP goals. In September 2015, we reported  on lessons learned from the interim CAP goal period—which ended in  March 2014—and provided an assessment of CAP goal teams’ initial  reported progress implementing the current set of 2014-2018 CAP goals. We randomly selected four of the seven CAP goals  including Open Data, STEM Education, Job-Creating Investment, and  Lab-to-Market. We interviewed Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and  Performance Improvement Council (PIC) staff responsible for the  management and implementation of the current CAP goals, as well as  agency officials and staff, including CAP goal leaders and members of the  seven CAP goal teams. To determine the extent to which selected CAP goals met this  requirement, we reviewed the published lists of contributors in the  quarterly progress updates, and interviewed CAP goal teams and OMB  staff responsible for managing the CAP goals.
Why GAO Did This Study

Given the significance and complexity of the CAP goals, it is important that CAP goal contributors, Congress, and the public are able to track how CAP goal teams are making progress.
This report is one in a series in response to a statutory provision to review GPRAMA implementation. It assesses (1) the extent to which lessons learned from implementing the interim CAP goals were incorporated into the governance of the current CAP goals; (2) the extent to which GPRAMA requirements for reporting on CAP goal progress are included in the selected CAP goal quarterly progress updates; and (3) the initial progress in implementing the selected CAP goals.
GAO selected 7 of the 15 CAP goals to review (Customer Service, Job-Creating Investment, Lab-to-Market, Open Data, People and Culture, Smarter IT Delivery, and STEM Education). GAO assessed those goals' quarterly progress updates against relevant GPRAMA requirements, reviewed OMB and PIC guidance to CAP goal teams, and interviewed OMB, PIC, and CAP goal staff.

What GAO Found

The GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to coordinate with agencies to develop cross-agency priority (CAP) goals, which are 4-year outcome-oriented goals covering a number of complex or high-risk management and mission issues.
For the current set of CAP goals covering the period from 2014-2018, OMB and the interagency Performance Improvement Council (PIC) incorporated lessons learned from the 2012-2014 interim CAP goal period to improve the governance and implementation of these cross-cutting goals. For example, OMB and the PIC changed the CAP goal governance structure to include agency leaders, and holds regular senior-level reviews on CAP goal progress. They also provide ongoing assistance to CAP goal teams, such as by helping teams develop milestones and performance measures. Based in part on prior GAO recommendations, OMB and the PIC updated its guidance to assist CAP goal teams in managing the goals and in meeting GPRAMA reporting requirements. CAP goal teams told GAO that the CAP goal designation increased leadership attention and improved interagency collaboration on these issues.
GAO's assessment of the selected CAP goals' quarterly progress updates—published on Performance.gov—determined that CAP goal teams are meeting a number of GPRAMA reporting requirements, including identifying contributors, reporting strategies for performance improvement and quarterly results. However, most of the selected CAP goal teams have not established quarterly targets as required by GPRAMA, but are consistently reporting the status of quarterly milestones to track goal progress.
GAO found that the selected goal teams are aligning their quarterly milestones with strategies to achieve the desired goal outcomes. Further, all of the selected CAP goal teams reported that they are working to develop performance measures, and are at various stages of the process. However, the selected CAP goal teams were not consistently reporting on their efforts to develop performance measures. Given OMB, the PIC, and CAP goal teams' emphasis on developing measures that are relevant and well-defined, greater transparency is needed to track goal team's efforts on a quarterly basis. With improved performance information the CAP goal teams will be better positioned to demonstrate goal progress at the end of the 4-year goal period.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that OMB, working with the PIC, report on Performance.gov the actions that CAP goal teams are taking to develop performance measures and quarterly targets. OMB staff generally agreed with GAO's recommendation and provided technical clarifications, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.