DOD Civilian Personnel: Intelligence Personnel System Incorporates Safeguards, but Opportunities Exist for Improvement

DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation to issue guidance to institutionalize a process to involve the employees continually in future design and implementation changes to the system--the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). DOD recently issued DOD Instruction 1400.24, Volume 2013, DCIPS Program Evaluation (Apr. 17, 2012). This instruction stipulates that the results of its enterprise-wide evaluations, which includes employee feedback and other metrics that gage employee and manager satisfaction with the efficiency and effectiveness of DCIPS policies, processes, and outcomes will be incorporated in DCIPS policy. Further, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence has conducted numerous employee surveys, focus groups, and town hall meetings and uses this feedback (e.g. surveys, focus groups, and town hall meetings) to inform its enterprise-wide assessment of the effectiveness of DCIPS policies and processes.

DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation to issue guidance on the analysis of finalized ratings that explains how to conduct a demographic analysis of ratings, to help ensure the equity and fairness of ratings determined under the system--the Defense Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). On April 17, 2012, DOD issued DOD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2013, DCIPS Program Evaluation, which directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and the DOD components to annually examine the differences in performance-based payouts received by employees with different positions in a pay range, work categories, work levels, gender, ethnicity, age and other factors.

DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation to finalize and execute its evaluation plan, with metrics, to assess the system, including the implementation of internal safeguards, to help ensure the department evaluates the impact of DCIPS. On April 17, 2012, DOD issued DOD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2013, DCIPS Program Evaluation, which directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to develop an annual DCIPS evaluation plan to be published in March of each calendar year. The instruction directs that the annual DCIPS evaluation plan will assess employee and manager satisfaction with the efficiency and effectiveness of DCIPS policies and processes and use core metrics to evaluate DCIPS. The metrics noted in the instruction include measuring transparency, diversity, competitiveness of the pay scale, and the rate of adverse actions and grievances, which the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence will use, along with the results from the Intelligence Community Climate Survey, to inform changes to DCIPS policy.

DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation to finalize and execute its evaluation plan, with metrics, to assess the system, including the implementation of internal safeguards, to help ensure the department evaluates the impact of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). On April 17, 2012, DOD issued DOD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2013, DCIPS Program Evaluation, which directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to develop an annual DCIPS evaluation plan to be published in March of each calendar year. The instruction directs that the annual DCIPS evaluation plan will assess employee and manager satisfaction with the efficiency and effectiveness of DCIPS policies and processes and use core metrics to evaluate DCIPS. The metrics noted in the instruction include measuring transparency, diversity, competitiveness of the pay scale, and the rate of adverse actions and grievances, which the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence will use, along with the results from the Intelligence Community Climate Survey, to inform changes to DCIPS policy.