Accurate and timely intelligence. Practices that Promote Successful Data-Driven Performance Reviews at the Federal Level

		Agency Leaders Use Data- Driven Reviews as a Leadership Strategy to Drive Performance Improvement

Our analysis confirmed that to be successful, data-driven reviews should  be used as a leadership strategy to drive performance improvement. This was  consistent with what we found at DOE, SBA, and Treasury. Agency Staff Have Skills to Analyze and Clearly Communicate Complex Data for Decision Making

Our analysis indicated that agencies need staff with the skills to assess  performance data for coverage and quality and to identify key trends,  areas of strong or weak performance, and possible causal factors. Participants Engage in Rigorous and Sustained Follow-up on Issues Identified During Reviews

Rigorous and sustained follow-up on issues identified during the meetings  is also critical to ensure the success of the reviews as a performance  improvement tool. DOE, SBA, and Treasury Officials Attributed Improvements in Performance and Decision Making to Quarterly Performance Reviews, although Some Reported Minimal Impact

		Reviews Fostered Intra- agency Collaboration and Problem Solving to Improve Performance

DOE, SBA, and Treasury officials said their quarterly performance  reviews allowed different functional management groups and program  areas within each agency to share information and ideas for performance  improvement. Furthermore, the majority of PIOs we  surveyed indicated that there was little to no involvement in the reviews  from external officials who could contribute to achieving agency goals. Recommendation for Executive Action

To better leverage agency quarterly performance reviews as a  mechanism to manage performance toward agency priority and other  agency-level performance goals, we are recommending that the Director  of the Office of Management and Budget—working with the Performance  Improvement Council and other relevant groups—identify and share  promising practices to help agencies extend their quarterly performance  reviews to include, as relevant, representatives from outside  organizations that contribute to achieving their agency performance  goals. OMB staff generally concurred with the  recommendation in our report. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

As part of our mandate to review the implementation of the Government  Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA), our  reporting objectives were to (1) identify practices that can promote  successful data-driven reviews at the federal level and examine how  these reviews are being implemented at selected agencies and across  the government, and (2) examine the impact of quarterly data-driven  performance reviews on selected agencies’ progress toward high priority  and other performance goals. We refined these  practices with additional information obtained from practitioners at the  local, state, and federal level who shared their experiences and lessons  learned. To evaluate how effectively selected agencies are applying the practices  of data-driven reviews in their GPRAMA-mandated quarterly performance  reviews, and the effectiveness of these reviews toward achieving agency  priority and other performance goals, we chose three agencies— Department of Energy (DOE), Small Business Administration (SBA), and  Department of the Treasury (Treasury). Government Performance: Strategies for Building a Results-Oriented and  Collaborative Culture in the Federal Government.
Why GAO Did This Study

Given the federal government's central role in addressing many of the American public's most pressing concerns, it is critical that government performance is managed effectively. GAO's previous work has shown that many federal agencies have struggled to adopt effective performance management practices. Congress took steps to improve federal performance management with the passage of the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA), which included a provision for agency leaders to conduct quarterly, data-driven performance reviews. As part of GAO's mandate to review GPRAMA implementation, this report (1) identifies practices that can promote successful data-driven performance reviews at the federal level and examines how they are being implemented at selected agencies and across the government, and (2) examines the impact of quarterly datadriven performance reviews on selected agencies' progress toward high priority and other performance goals. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed academic and policy literature; information from practitioners at the local, state, and federal level; and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. GAO surveyed performance improvement officers at 24 federal agencies and examined review implementation at three agencies--DOE, SBA, and Treasury.

What GAO Found

GAO identified nine leading practices to promote successful data-driven performance reviews--referred to as quarterly performance reviews--at the federal level.
Agency leaders use data-driven reviews as a leadership strategy to drive performance improvement.
Key players attend reviews to facilitate problem solving.
Reviews ensure alignment between agency goals, program activities, and resources.
Agency leaders hold managers accountable for diagnosing performance problems and identifying strategies for improvement.
Agency has capacity to collect accurate, useful, and timely performance data.
Agency staff have skills to analyze and clearly communicate complex data for decision making.
Rigorous preparations enable meaningful performance discussions.
Reviews are conducted on a frequent and regularly scheduled basis.
Participants engage in rigorous and sustained follow-up on issues identified during reviews.
Most officials GAO interviewed at the Department of Energy (DOE), Small Business Administration (SBA), and Department of the Treasury (Treasury) attributed improvements in performance and decision making to the reviews. DOE, SBA, and Treasury officials said their reviews allowed different functional management groups and program areas within their agencies to collaborate and identify strategies which led to performance improvements. GAO's survey of performance improvement officers indicated that there was little to no involvement in the reviews from other agencies that could help achieve agency goals. This was also true at DOE, SBA, and Treasury, where officials expressed concerns about including outsiders in their reviews and described other means of coordinating with them. However, OMB guidance--along with a leading practice GAO identified--indicates that including key players from other agencies can lead to more effective collaboration and goal achievement.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that OMB identify and share practices to use the reviews for interagency collaboration, when relevant, to achieve agency goals. OMB staff generally agreed with the recommendation.