	Managing for Results: Key Steps and Challenges in Implementing GPRA in Science Agencies

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: We are pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the key steps and challenges in using the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) to improve federal civilian science agencies’ management and congressional decisionmaking. Equally important, if successfully implemented, GPRA should help Congress make the difficult funding, policy, and program decisions that the current budget environment demands. Under GPRA, agencies are to set strategic and annual goals, measure performance, and report on the degree to which goals are met. Congress intended for GPRA to fundamentally shift the focus of federal management and accountability from a preoccupation with staffing and activity levels to a focus on “outcomes” of federal programs. These three steps are (1) define mission and desired outcomes, (2) measure performance, and (3) use performance information. In particular, assessing the outcomes of science-related projects can be extremely difficult because a wide range of factors determine if and how a particular R&D project will result in commercial or other benefits. Step 3: Use Performance Information

As to be expected during the initial efforts of such a challenging management reform effort as GPRA, most agencies, including science agencies, are still struggling to integrate the mission-based goal-setting and performance measurement requirements of GPRA into their daily program operations.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO discussed the challenges in implementing the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) in federal civilian science agencies, focusing on ways to improve the management of federal civilian science agencies and aid congressional decisionmaking.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) GPRA enables Congress to make difficult funding, policy, and programming decisions relative to science agencies' demands; (2) the science agencies are required to set strategic and annual goals, measure performance rates, and report their goals attainment; (3) GPRA has shifted the focus of federal management and accountability from staffing and activity levels to federal program outcomes; (4) GPRA is being phased in through 70 pilot projects, to provide agencies with guidance in meeting GPRA requirements; (5) the successful implementation of this results-oriented management approach depends on defining missions and desired outcomes, measuring program performance, and using performance data to improve program operations; (6) measuring program performance can be extremely difficult because of the wide range of factors to consider in determining a project's commercial viability; and (7) most agencies are struggling to integrate GPRA goal-setting and performance measurement requirements into their daily program operations.