Financial Management: Training of DOD Financial Managers Could Be Enhanced

The Department's January 2001 Financial Management Improvement Plan incorporates a competency-based career development program (CDP) for DFAS financial management personnel. The DFAS CDP covers all professional financial management positions from entry through executive levels and includes technical, professional, and leadership competencies, training and educational requirements, and developmental activities by series and grade. As part of the CDB, DFAS established a Professional and Leadership Certification Program that is designed to ensure that DFAS personnel in the program receive the necessary training and development required for their positions. The Professional and Leadership Certification Program has a requirement that participating personnel obtain 80 hours of CPE every 2 years. In addition, DFAS strongly encourages professional certifications--such as a Certified Public Accountant which have annual CPE requirements. DFAS has established a Financial Management Network of seminars and training courses to provide required annual CPEs to its employees.

The Department's January 2001 Financial Management Improvement Plan incorporates a competency-based career development program (CDP) for DFAS financial management personnel. The DFAS CDP covers all professional financial management positions from entry through executive levels and includes technical, professional, and leadership competencies, training and educational requirements, and developmental activities by series and grade. The objective of DFAS CDP is to develop a DFAS workforce that is knowledgeable of applicable laws and regulatory requirements through a standardized comprehensive list of competencies. The DFAS CDP competencies build on JFMIP and CFO Council competency guidance and were developed and implemented in consultation with OPM.

The Department's January 2001 Financial Management Improvement Plan incorporates a competency-based career development program (CDP) for DFAS financial management personnel. The DFAS CDP covers all professional financial management positions from entry through executive levels and includes technical, professional, and leadership competencies, training and educational requirements, and developmental activities by series and grade. DFAS reports developing a training program that supports requirements outlined in the CDP. DFAS reports using a contractor to develop, deliver, and maintain a curriculum involving 160 courses covering financial management regulations, policies, processes, and procedures. DFAS also reports that it plans to provide this training to several thousand of its employees over the next 5 years. This training is aimed at enhancing participants' knowledge of financial management and can then be used to prepare for a standardized exam to obtain a professional certification.

The Department's January 2001 Financial Management Improvement Plan incorporates a competency-based career development program (CDP) for DFAS financial management personnel. The DFAS CDP covers all professional financial management positions from entry through executive levels and includes technical, professional, and leadership competencies, training and educational requirements, and developmental activities by series and grade. As part of the CDB, all DFAS financial management personnel are required to develop an individual development plan (IDP). These required IDPs are to be used to guide individual achievement of identified competencies. These IDPS are also to be used to identify learning objectives; training, education, and certification requirements; job assignments; and self-development initiatives--both for employees' current and future positions in the organization.

As enumerated in the Department's January 2001 Financial Management Improvement Plan, DFAS, as well as the military services, have a wide variety of training programs to ensure that comptroller and financial management personnel have the necessary education and technical competencies to perform their duties. In coordination with DOD's Chancellor for Education, as part of this program, each of the DOD components arrange for the training necessary for their financial management personnel to be skilled in their particular duties and functions. For example, DFAS has established a model competency-based career development program (CDP) for its financial management personnel. In addition, the Air Force issued guidelines for the professional development of its financial managers covering continuing professional education, general education, professional and military education, experience, and test-based certifications. The guidelines call for those in designated positions to obtain 80 hours of CPEs every two years, with at least 20 hours in each year.