For example, the Office of  Personnel Management (OPM) surveys federal workers with the Federal  Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). Agencies’ Reported Use of Performance Information Generally Has Not Improved Since 2007

Few federal agencies showed improvement in managers’ use of  performance information for decision making between 2007 and 2013, as  measured by our use index. Specifically, our analysis of the average use  index score at each agency found that most agencies showed no  statistically significant change in use during this period. During the same time period, four agencies—the  Departments of Energy and Veterans Affairs (VA), the National  Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory  Commission—experienced a statistically significant decline in managers’  use of performance information as measured by our index. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Survey Questions Addressing Key Practices Significantly Related to the Use of Performance Information

Using the data from our 2013 survey of federal managers, we found that  specific practices identified in our previous work on the use of  performance information to enhance or facilitate the use of performance  information for decision making were significantly related to the use of  performance information as measured by our use index. We have  highlighted those questions and responses that we found to have a  statistically significant and positive relationship with the use of  performance information index.performance information index for agencies increased when managers  reported that their agencies engaged to a greater extent in these  practices as reflected in the survey questions. For example, in 2013,  OPM managers responded more favorably than the government-wide  average on several of the survey questions related to these practices. OPM was one of the two agencies that experienced an increase in use of  performance information from 2007 to 2013, as measured by our index. Concluding Observations

Our analyses of agency-level results from our periodic surveys of federal  managers in 2007 and 2013 reinforce that there are several leading  practices and related survey questions that significantly influenced  agencies’ use of performance information for management decision  making. Departments of Commerce  (Commerce) and the Treasury (Treasury), the General Services  Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space  Administration (NASA). NASA and Treasury  raised concerns about the findings and conclusions in our report,  including the design of the surveys. They said that it did not adequately provide agency-wide  perspectives that fully represented the agencies’ use of  performance information. We also did additional statistical testing to determine whether or  not the changes between the 2007 and 2013 use indexes were  statistically different among agencies. To clarify this  point, we added the definition of performance information from the  2013 managers survey in the report. These practices  include: aligning agencywide goals, objectives, and measures; improving  the usefulness of performance information; developing the capacity to use  performance information; demonstrating management commitment; and  communicating performance information frequently and effectively. Each  increase in the extent to which a manager felt their agency leadership  was committed to results was associated with a .08 increase in the  performance use index, or up to a .32 increase in the five-point  performance use index when comparing managers who reported “no  extent” of leadership commitment to those that reported “a very great  extent.”
Two questions related to communicating performance information  frequently and effectively were significantly and positively associated with  manager’s perceptions of an agency’s use of performance information,  controlling for other factors.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO has long reported that agencies are better equipped to address management and performance challenges when managers effectively use performance information for decision making. However, GAO's periodic surveys of federal managers indicate that use of performance information has not changed significantly.
GAO was mandated to evaluate the implementation of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. GAO assessed agencies' use of performance information from responses to GAO's surveys of federal managers at 24 agencies. To address this objective, GAO created an index to measure agency use of performance information derived from a set of questions from the most recent surveys in 2007 and 2013, and used statistical analysis to identify practices most significantly related to the use of performance information index.

What GAO Found

Agencies' reported use of performance information, as measured by GAO's use of performance information index, generally did not improve between 2007 and 2013. The index was derived from a set of survey questions in the 2007 and 2013 surveys that reflected the extent to which managers reported that their agencies used performance information for various management activities and decision making. GAO's analysis of the average index score among managers at each agency found that most agencies showed no statistically significant change in use during this period. As shown in the table below, only two agencies experienced a statistically significant improvement in the use of performance information. During the same time period, four agencies experienced a statistically significant decline in the use of performance information.
Legend statistically significant decrease statistically significant increase
GAO has previously found that there are five leading practices that can enhance or facilitate the use of performance information: (1) aligning agency-wide goals, objectives, and measures; (2) improving the usefulness of performance information; (3) developing agency capacity to use performance information; (4) demonstrating management commitment; and (5) communicating performance information frequently and effectively. GAO tested whether additional survey questions related to the five practices were significantly related to the use of performance information as measured by the index. GAO found that the average use of performance information index for agencies increased when managers reported their agencies engaged to a great extent in these practices as reflected in the survey questions. For example, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was one of the two agencies that experienced an increase in use of performance information from 2007 to 2013, as measured by the GAO index. In 2013, OPM managers responded more favorably than the government-wide average on several of the survey questions related to these practices.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making recommendations in this report. Office of Management and Budget staff generally agreed with the report. Four agencies (the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)) provided comments that are addressed. Commerce and GSA agreed with the report. Treasury and NASA raised concerns about the findings and conclusions in this report, including the design of the surveys. GAO continues to believe its findings and conclusions are valid as discussed in the report. Twenty other agencies did not have comments.