A number of these challenges were created by the significant reduction in  the size of GAO undertaken in the mid-1990s. The agency’s  ability to operate in an efficient, effective, and economical manner and  meet the ever-changing and increasingly complex needs of the Congress  could be seriously compromised if GAO’s human capital challenges were  not effectively addressed. 3. Although  GAO has made progress in improving its human capital profile, there is  still work to do. GAO has  found this flexibility to be a critical component in its efforts to ensure that  the agency maintains the skills and knowledge necessary to address the  many highly complex areas of interest to the Congress. At this meeting the Comptroller General solicited the views of senior  staff on extending provisions of Public Law 106-303. In the final analysis, the agency’s efforts to  maximize its value allow us to better serve the Congress and the American  people.
What GAO Found

Leading public organizations here and abroud have found that strategic human capital management must be the centerpiece of any serious change management initiative and effort to transform the culture of government agancies. GAO is not immune to these challenges facing the federal government. Over the past 3 years, however, we have made considerable progress toward addressing a number of our major human capital challenges through various initiatives. While many of the initiatives were administrative in nature, the additional flexibilities that the Congress authorized in Public Law 106-303 have helped to ensure that we have the right staff, with the right skills, in the right locations to better meet the needs of the Congress and the American people.