OMB asks agencies for 2008, 2009 goals

Agencies will offer the Office of Management and Budget by June 28 their final sets of goals for meeting the President’s Management Agenda in fiscal 2008 and 2009.Clay Johnson, OMB’s deputy director for management, asked in a memo May 31 agencies’ deputy secretaries to develop and submit two last sets of “Proud to Be” goals for the next two years. The 2008 goals will need to be more specific, detailing what standards for success by which the agency hopes to measure their performance. For 2009 OMB is looking for a brief explanation of the agency’s goals.“This year’s Proud to Be exercise will focus particular attention to ensuring improved effectiveness and efficiency,” Johnson said in the memo. “For your July 1, 2008, goals, you will also identify each standard for success you expect to achieve, the milestones you intend to meet and the results you would be proud to achieve in each initiative area.”OMB expects to finalize the 2008 goals by July 31, the memo states.Annually since July 2003, OMB has asked agencies to set goals for the next 12 months around the agenda’s five areas: competitive sourcing, e-government, human capital, improved financial performance and performance improvement, which used to be the budget and performance integration initiative. Using a stoplight system, OMB then scores agencies each quarter on their progress toward meeting their goals and the administration’s goals under each area.This is the first time OMB has asked for two-year goals, however.OMB upped the ante for achieving green and yellow scores and staying green. The memo outlines seven new or updated human capital standards for success. Although competitive sourcing has two, improved financial performance has three and e-government has two new or updated criteria.Under e-government, OMB is requiring agencies score at least a four out of five on their enterprise architecture assessments. This means agencies must show how their enterprise architecture helped them make business decisions.OMB also added the requirement to maintain a green score an agency must have a “plan to meet necessary communication requirements for continuity of operations and continuity of government activities.”The White House recognizes that the 2009 goals may need to be changed as agencies progress, Johnson wrote.