The Results Act: Observations on the Postal Service's Preliminary Annual Performance Plan
GGD-98-144
Published: Jul 10, 1998. Publicly Released: Jul 10, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Postal Service's preliminary annual performance plan for fiscal year (FY) 1999.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Postal Service | The Postmaster General should modify the preliminary performance plan so that the Postal Service's final performance plan for FY 1999 more fully conforms with the Government Performance and Results Act and gives stakeholders and decisionmakers a better framework for gauging the Service's performance. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service included additional information recommended by GAO that helps the plan to more fully meet the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act.
|
| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to include current levels of performance, or baselines, so that readers can gauge the Postal Service's progress in achieving its goals. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service included information on current performance levels for its major performance goals so that future progress could be gauged.
|
| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to start the process to develop and communicate linkages, including incremental adjustments as the linkages are developed, between the Postal Service budget and the performance goals in the performance plan. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service discussed additional resources allocated in its FY 1999 budget to achieve various timely delivery performance goals for FY 1999.
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| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to fully articulate the Postal Service mission as stated in the strategic plan so that readers can more clearly understand the link between the two documents. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service elaborated on its mission to better link to its mission statement in the Postal Service's Five-Year Strategic Plan.
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| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to more completely link strategies and resources for achieving goals with the performance goals discussed in the preliminary plan. |
In the final version of the Postal Service's Annual Performance Plan, the Service expanded its discussion of the strategies that will be used to achieve its major performance goals. In addition, the Service identified the additional financial resources that will be needed to meet the proposed voice of the customer performance targets in its FY 1999 budget.
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| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to discuss steps that the Postal Service plans to take to ensure that the data used to measure performance are both verifiable and valid. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service discussed how it plans to ensure that the data used to track performance goals is verified and validated.
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| United States Postal Service | In developing the final performance plan, the Postmaster General should take steps to discuss external factors and major management problems that could impede the Service's ability to achieve its intended goals and how the Service plans to address such impediments. |
In its final FY 1999 Annual Performance Plan, the Postal Service identified several challenges and external factors that could affect the ability of the Postal Service to realize its FY 1999 goals. These factors included changing customer requirements, substitute technologies and electronic diversion, labor/management relations and the possibility of legislative reform.
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Agency missionsexecutive relationsData integrityPerformance measuresPostal serviceProgram evaluationPublic administrationReporting requirementsStrategic planningPerformance plans