Improving Government: Actions Needed to Sustain and Enhance Management Reforms
Highlights
GAO discussed the progress being made in addressing the management challenges facing the federal government, focusing on: (1) continued financial management reform; (2) providing an improved framework for managing information technology and high-risk programs; (3) implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA); and (4) National Performance Review (NPR) recommendations and implementation strategies. GAO noted that: (1) Congress should target financial management reform by expanding legislative provisions for audited financial statements and mandating an annual governmentwide financial report; (2) Congress should strengthen existing legislation to provide an improved framework for managing information technology; (3) financial and information management legislative reforms will help identify high-risk programs vulnerable to waste and mismanagement; (4) full implementation of GPRA will provide congressional and other decisionmakers with the critical information they need to fully assess federal programs and establish future program strategies; (5) most large federal agencies lack a future strategic plan and adequate systems to collect financial and program information, and do not have the skilled staff needed to implement NPR recommendations; and (6) indiscriminate, across-the-board budget cuts could diminish the agencies' capabilities to manage resources and deliver services.