Cyber Workforce: Evidence-Based Decision Needed for the Future of OPM’s Dashboard

What GAO Found

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched its Cyber Workforce Dashboard in 2023 as a government-wide application for managing the cybersecurity workforce. The intended purpose of the Dashboard was to provide a comprehensive government-wide view of federal cyber workforce data and to allow agencies to benchmark their workforce data against other agencies.

However, five of six selected agencies and OPM, the administrator of the Dashboard, reported they were not using the Dashboard. The General Services Administration was the one agency using it, primarily for workforce planning. All six selected agencies reported limitations with the Dashboard, including communications with OPM, access, functionality, and use of data. OPM reported many of the same types of limitations in managing the effort.

Number of Office of Personnel Management’s Cyber Workforce Dashboard Limitations Experienced by the Six Selected Agencies

Given the lack of use, the Dashboard is not meeting its intended purpose for the six selected agencies. Further, OPM does not know the extent of non-use by the almost 20 other federal agencies that have access to the Dashboard. Additionally, OPM has not solicited feedback on it. Regarding costs, according to OPM officials, the funds spent on the Dashboard effort since its inception were minimal and therefore not covered by a separate budget line item. Officials added that they did not have an estimate of exact costs or future planned costs.

Without information on the extent of use among the more than 20 federal agencies, OPM is limited in knowing whether it should continue or terminate the effort. Expeditiously collecting and analyzing such information, soliciting feedback from agencies, and determining costs are essential to determining the future of the Dashboard.

Why GAO Did This Study

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), and prior GAO reports have stated that the federal government faces a persistent shortage of cyber and IT professionals. Building and maintaining a talented cyber workforce is one of the federal government’s most important challenges. The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 includes a provision for GAO to periodically evaluate federal agencies’ information security policies and practices. This includes evaluating agencies’ cybersecurity workforce management policies and applications, such as the Dashboard. This report (1) describes the Dashboard, (2) describes how selected federal agencies are using the Dashboard to support their workforce planning efforts, and (3) determines the extent to which the Dashboard is meeting its intended purpose. GAO randomly selected six agencies, divided into three tiers based on their reported fiscal year 2025 IT spending. GAO interviewed relevant OPM and agency officials and reviewed Dashboard documentation and usage metrics that OPM initially gathered after the Dashboard was launched. GAO also analyzed applicable guidance, best practices, and relevant Dashboard documentation.