Improvements Needed in Army's Determination of Manpower Requirements for Support and Administrative Functions
Highlights
Army manpower survey teams make on-site appraisals and recommend the number of people needed for support and administrative functions at Army installations. The recommendations of the survey team are also the basis for the garrison staffing guide, which provides criteria for subsequent surveys. The surveys, although useful for some installation and major command management decisions, are not coordinated with the major manpower activities of planning, programming, and budgeting; allocating human resources to installations and work centers; and evaluating manpower use. Consequently, the Army supports its garrison budget by adjusting prior year budgets. However, the Army cannot quantify the effect of not receiving the personnel which survey teams say are needed for garrison work and cannot accurately predict manpower needs.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the Army to use experienced personnel to design a manpower management system with the following characteristics: (1) an organizational structure that combines the manpower-related responsibilities and staffing into one organization at all levels; (2) a methodology for determining manpower needs based on work measurement where it is feasible and cost-effective; (3) a management information system which uses a common database for work center needs, garrison costs, budget requests, allocations, and evaluations of manpower use; and (4) a determination of the spaces needed to implement the system and an allocation of these manpower resources to the program. |
GAO will resurvey the Army's manpower requirements system in FY 1987.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should identify the type of information the Army needs to prepare and support its manpower budget. |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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