USDANEWS VOLUME 56 NO. 6 - JUNE/JULY 1997

GPRA Is Putting Its Stamp On How We Do Business at USDA

It's A Whole New Ball Game

by Ron Hall, Office of Communications

We've all heard the cliche that "Nothing is certain in life but death and taxes." But these days, if you're a federal employee, you can modify that statement to say "Nothing is certain but death, taxes--and GPRA."

That's because, simply stated, GPRA is going to affect us all.

GPRA stands for the "Government Performance and Results Act of 1993" and is also known as the "Results Act." "It's a law which is ushering in a whole new way of measuring performance in the federal government," advised Pat Wensel, director of the Planning and Accountability Division in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and coordinator of USDA's GPRA responsibilities.

She explained that this new law requires federal departments and agencies to evaluate their performance in terms of outcomes--spelled "results"--instead of by concentrating on output, such as through the number of widgets made or the amount of dollars spent.

But haven't we feds, in the past few decades, been through similar attempted innovations at more effective government, such as the Program Planning and Budgeting System (PPBS), Zero-Base Budgeting (ZBB), and Management By Objectives (MBO)?

"Yes, that's true," Wensel confirmed. "But there are a number of points which make GPRA a whole new ball game."

She pointed out that, first, this focus on "results" instead of "output" distinguishes GPRA from most previous attempts at better management of federal programs and activities.

Second, such concepts as PPBS and ZBB were initiated by Executive Order--but GPRA is an act of Congress. Third, since GPRA is now literally and figuratively "the law of the land," Congress is taking a much greater interest--with an accompanying far greater level of scrutiny--on how federal departments and agencies spend their budgets and manage their programs.

"Simply stated," she advised, "we've all been put on notice that the key question being asked is 'What are the taxpayers getting for the money they spend on the federal government'?"

"And it's the challenge for all of us--in federal government in general, and here at USDA absolutely--to make sure we can keep providing satisfactory answers to that basic question."

To accomplish the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act, the law set up a timetable for implementation of its provisions. The law was passed in 1993, but it gave federal departments and agencies four years--until Sept. 30, 1997--to develop five-year "strategic plans" which show specifically how they plan to accomplish their intended "results" or "outcomes." Those five-year strategic plans go into effect in FY 1998--and are supposed to accomplish their goals by five years later in 2002.

Wensel said that planning for GPRA began at USDA in FY 1994 with several pilot projects. Additional actions included selecting a GPRA coordinator from each agency and then developing one Departmentwide Strategic Plan--which includes individual agency-specific plans within it.

Recently, Secretary Dan Glickman sent a memorandum, dated Nov. 20, 1996 and titled "USDA Strategic Plans under the Government Performance and Results Act," to members of USDA's subcabinet, in which he reiterated the importance of USDA's Departmentwide final Strategic Plan.

Wensel said that the drafting process has included an informal review by OMB and a consultation, with staffers from the appropriate Congressional committees, of the draft of USDA's Strategic Plan, which was submitted to Congress on May 19, 1997. This will be followed by a formal submission of that Plan to OMB, by Aug. 15, 1997, for its comment. Following OMB's formal review and feedback, as appropriate, each federal department is to submit its five-year Strategic Plan back to OMB as well as to Congress by Sept. 30, 1997. Then, those plans are to become operational one day later, on Oct. 1, 1997--the first day of FY98.

Stan Prochaska, director of the Communications Coordination & Review Center in the Office of Communications and OC's GPRA coordinator, observed the consultation on June 16, with Congressional staffers, concerning several agency-level components of USDA's Strategic Plan. Describing the session as a helpful and instructive sharing of ideas, he noted that one of the challenges facing USDA--and all other federal departments--is to ensure that its goals are, in fact, outcome-oriented and results-oriented, instead of being process-oriented.

"We're all wrestling with this," he said. "We at times have a tendency to be too internally focused, or process-focused, instead of asking the basic question: 'Just what are you trying to achieve with this goal'?"

Wensel noted that both Congressional staffers and USDA's participants saw the consultation sessions as a valuable effort in promoting communication, cooperation, and a 'let's work together' approach to developing the Department's GPRA Strategic Plan.

Okay--but how does all this affect the typical USDA employee?

Wensel said that USDA's Strategic Plan will lead to annual performance plans within each agency, which will serve as performance "agreements" between the Office of the Secretary and each agency.

"Those 'agreements' will then, in effect, 'cascade' to individual performance plans for our senior-level managers, and down through the organization to our front-line, hands-on employees," she affirmed. "That way, USDA employees at all levels will understand their role in achieving the broader goals of the Department."

"I can't emphasize enough," Wensel underscored, "that this new 'GPRA approach' to our goals is requiring a major break from our traditional way of measuring success."

"But we'll have our Strategic Plan ready and in shape--and then all USDA employees, through our individual performance reviews, will be part of its implementation within the Department." ¤

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