Now that GPRA has been in effect  for 10 years, you asked us to assess the effectiveness of GPRA in creating a  focus on results in the federal government. Specifically, this report  discusses (1) the effect of GPRA over the last 10 years in creating a  governmentwide focus on results and the government’s ability to deliver  results to the American public, including an assessment of the changes in  the overall quality of agencies’ strategic plans, annual performance plans,  and annual performance reports; (2) the challenges agencies face in  measuring performance and using performance information in  management decisions; and (3) how the federal government can continue  to shift toward a more results-oriented focus. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays an important role in  the management of the federal government’s performance, and specifically  GPRA implementation. Ten years  after enactment, GPRA’s requirements have laid a foundation of results- oriented agency planning, measurement, and reporting that have begun to  address these purposes. Our survey results indicate that since GPRA went  into effect governmentwide in 1997, federal managers reported having  significantly more of the types of performance measures called for by  GPRA—particularly outcome-oriented performance measures. GPRA has  also begun to facilitate the linking of resources to results, although much  remains to be done in this area. This would provide important guidance to agencies that could  then be incorporated in agency strategic and annual performance plans. Challenges to successful  implementation of GPRA include inconsistent top leadership commitment  to creating a focus on results; an approach to setting goals and developing  strategies for achieving critical outcomes that creates individual agency  stovepipes rather than an integrated, holistic governmentwide approach;  getting federal managers to make greater use of performance information  to manage their programs and providing them authority to act that is  commensurate with their accountability for results; difficulty in  establishing meaningful measures of outcomes and assessing results of  federal programs that are carried out by nonfederal entities; and untimely  performance data. Through the administration’s PMA  and PART initiatives, OMB has clearly placed greater emphasis on  management issues over the past several years. OMB leadership is critical to addressing the continuing challenges  presented in GPRA implementation and the transformation of the federal  government to an increasingly results-oriented culture.
Why GAO Did This Study

Now that the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) has been in effect for 10 years, GAO was asked to address (1) the effect of GPRA in creating a governmentwide focus on results and the government's ability to deliver results to the American public, (2) the challenges agencies face in measuring performance and using performance information in management decisions, and (3) how the federal government can continue to shift toward a more results-oriented focus.

What GAO Found

GPRA's requirements have established a solid foundation of results-oriented performance planning, measurement, and reporting in the federal government. Federal managers surveyed by GAO reported having significantly more of the types of performance measures called for by GPRA. GPRA has also begun to facilitate the linking of resources to results, although much remains to be done in this area to increase the use of performance information to make decisions about resources. We also found agency strategic and annual performance plans and reports we reviewed have improved over initial efforts. Although a foundation has been established, numerous significant challenges to GPRA implementation still exist. Inconsistent top leadership commitment to achieving results within agencies and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) can hinder the development of results-oriented cultures in agencies. Furthermore, in certain areas, federal managers continue to have difficulty setting outcome-oriented goals, collecting useful data on results, and linking institutional, program, unit, and individual performance measurement and reward systems. Finally, there is an inadequate focus on addressing issues that cut across federal agencies. OMB, as the focal point for management in the federal government, is responsible for overall leadership and direction in addressing these challenges. OMB has clearly placed greater emphasis on management issues during the past several years. However, it has showed less commitment to GPRA implementation in its guidance to agencies and in using the governmentwide performance plan requirement of GPRA to develop an integrated approach to crosscutting issues. In our view, governmentwide strategic planning could better facilitate the integration of federal activities to achieve national goals.