Digitalgov.gov Requirements for Federal Websites

Digitalgov.gov contains a checklist of requirements for federal websites  and digital services that are based on relevant statutes, regulations,  executive orders, or policy documents. Further, OMB and the PIC track 18 of 24 recommended  performance measures, but have not set goals for those measures. In  addition, our prior work identified several areas where OMB is not fully  meeting GPRAMA requirements for Performance.gov. OMB and GSA Conducted a Usability Test, but Key Actions Remain Unaddressed

GSA, on behalf of OMB, conducted a usability test on Performance.gov  and issued the findings in September 2013. Purpose. Data visualizations. Search. Our prior recommendation remains open. In particular, our work  identified several areas where OMB was not fully meeting APG and CAP  goal public reporting requirements. PIC staff took steps to address this  recommendation. GPRAMA requires OMB to make this  information publicly available on Performance.gov. OMB and PIC officials have told us that they are focused on ensuring  Performance.gov is GPRAMA compliant and are aware that the website  is not fully consistent with GPRAMA requirements. OMB Does Not Have a Strategic Plan for the Future of Performance.gov

OMB does not have a strategic plan for the website that will help guide  officials in the future. Agency-wide strategic planning practices required  under GPRA, and enhanced by GPRAMA, can serve as leading practices  for planning at lower levels within federal agencies, such as individual  programs or initiatives. Among  other things, strategic plans should contain goals and objectives,  approaches, and resources needed to achieve those long-term goals and  objectives. When we began our review, OMB staff said that they had not  developed a strategic plan for Performance.gov because a new  contractor, eKuber, had just started a few months prior, and they wanted  to allow time for the contractor to transition into its new role. The Digital Services Director’s responsibilities  include developing a strategic plan and managing the long-term  development of Performance.gov. However, without a plan for the future, OMB will not know what  resources it will need or steps it needs to take to ensure all requirements  are met and incorporated on Performance.gov. Specifically, we  identified three areas where Performance.gov did not have a customer  outreach strategy that incorporates, as appropriate, information about  how OMB intends to (1) inform users of changes on Performance.gov, (2)  use social media as a method of communication, and (3) use mobile  devices and applications. While OMB, GSA, and the PIC have taken several steps to improve  Performance.gov, their actions do not fully meet Digitalgov.gov  requirements or completely address our prior recommendations. For  example, while OMB and GSA conducted a usability test of the website,  they have not addressed all of the test’s findings. Without improving usability and fully implementing GPRAMA  requirements, Performance.gov will have difficulty serving its intended  purpose as a central website where users can find government-wide  performance information easily. Ensure the information presented on Performance.gov consistently  complies with GPRAMA public reporting requirements for the  website’s content. Analyze and, where appropriate, implement usability test results to  improve Performance.gov. Among  other things, this plan should include:  the goals, objectives, and resources needed to consistently meet  Digitalgov.gov and GPRAMA requirements; a customer outreach plan that considers how (1) OMB informs  users of changes in Performance.gov, (2) OMB uses social media  as a method of communication, and (3) users access  Performance.gov so that OMB could, as appropriate, deploy  mobile applications to communicate effectively; and a strategy to manage and archive the content and data on  Performance.gov in accordance with NARA guidance. OMB staff agreed with the recommendations in the report. The agency has not yet provided  reporting on Cross Agency Priority (CAP)  goal progress, we recommend that the  Director of the Office of Management and  Budget (OMB), working with the  Performance Improvement Council (PIC),  take the following action: report on  Performance.gov the actions that CAP  goal teams are taking, or plan to take, to  develop performance measure and  quarterly targets. According to OMB and  PIC staff in August 2015 and May 2016,  they have taken some actions to  address the recommendations. This  report assesses the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) (1)  efforts to ensure the usefulness of Performance.gov, and (2) strategic  plan for Performance.gov. We assessed OMB’s efforts (in collaboration with the Performance  Improvement Council (PIC) and the General Services Administration  (GSA)) to ensure the usefulness of Performance.gov and OMB’s strategic  plan by comparing steps taken and documentation for each to the  selected requirements.
Why GAO Did This Study

Congress took steps to improve federal performance reporting through GPRAMA by requiring that OMB provide performance information via a publicly available central website, Performance.gov. In June 2013, GAO reported on the initial development of Performance.gov. GPRAMA includes a provision for GAO to periodically review its implementation. This report assesses OMB's (1) effort to ensure Performance.gov's usefulness, and (2) strategic plan for the website. GAO compared elements of Performance.gov to GSA's Digitalgov.gov requirements for federal websites. GAO summarized prior work on OMB's implementation of selected GPRAMA requirements. GAO also interviewed OMB, PIC, and GSA staff about recommendations GAO made on developing the website and Performance.gov's strategic plan.

What GAO Found

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), General Services Administration (GSA), and the Performance Improvement Council (PIC) took several steps to improve the usefulness of Performance.gov, a website intended to serve as the public window to the federal government's goals and performance. However, their actions do not fully meet selected Digitalgov.gov requirements for federal websites (which are based on relevant statutes, regulations, and executive orders) and do not fully meet provisions of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA):
In accordance with Digitalgov.gov, GSA, on behalf of OMB, issued a usability test in September 2013. The test identified issues with the website's accessibility, purpose, data visualizations, and search function. However, OMB and GSA have not addressed all of the test's findings.
OMB and the PIC are tracking 18 of 24 website performance measures required by Digitalgov.gov, but have not set goals for those measures. In June 2013, GAO recommended they track measures and set goals for those measures. However, those recommendations remain open.
OMB has not met all of the GPRAMA public reporting requirements for Performance.gov. In particular, GAO identified several areas where OMB is not fully meeting agency priority and cross-agency priority goal public reporting requirements. OMB and PIC staff told GAO they are aware that Performance.gov is not fully GPRAMA compliant, but in moving forward, are focused on ensuring its compliance.
According to OMB and PIC staff, limited resources have prevented them from taking actions to address the 2013 usability test and setting goals for measures. By not fully implementing Digitalgov.gov requirements and GAO's recommendations on GPRAMA requirements, Performance.gov will continue to have difficulty serving its intended purpose as a central website where users can easily locate government-wide performance information.
OMB does not have a strategic plan for the website that will help guide staff in the future. Specifically, OMB does not have a customer outreach strategy that incorporates, as appropriate, information about how OMB intends to (1) inform users of changes on Performance.gov, (2) use social media as a method of communication, and (3) use mobile devices and applications. OMB also lacks an archiving plan to retain data and content on Performance.gov. Agency-wide strategic planning practices required under law can serve as leading practices for planning at lower levels within federal agencies, such as individual programs or initiatives. Consistent with these practices, strategic plans should contain goals and objectives, approaches, and resources. OMB staff said they had not developed a strategic plan for Performance.gov because they wanted to allow transition time for the operations and website maintenance contractor hired in August 2015. OMB staff also said that, in February 2016, they hired a Digital Services Director to develop a strategic plan and manage the website's long-term development. Without a strategic plan, OMB will not know the resources it needs or the steps to take to meet requirements, and to ensure the site provides useful information to the public.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making three recommendations that OMB work with GSA and the PIC to 1) ensure the information presented on Performance.gov consistently complies with GPRAMA public reporting requirements for the website's content; 2) analyze and, where appropriate, implement usability test results to improve Performance.gov; and 3) develop a strategic plan for the future of Performance.gov that includes goals, objectives, and resources needed to meet website requirements; a customer outreach plan; and a strategy to manage and archive data. OMB staff agreed with GAO's recommendations and provided technical clarifications, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.