FY 2001 Performance and Accountability Report Homepage Annual Performance Goals and Results Performance for FY 2001 Goals and Objectives —     Strategic Goal I     Strategic Goal II     Strategic Goal III     Strategic Goal IV     Corporate      Management      Strategies and      Internal Goals Completeness and Reliability of Performance Data

Annual Performance Goals and Results

Completeness and Reliability of Performance Data

Based on a review of the performance information used in this Report by OPM's Office of the Inspector General, the agency knows that it needs to improve the policies and procedures for obtaining and compiling performance data. Policies and procedures are an important internal control element in assuring the reliability of performance data. These policies and procedures should include program evaluations and field verification of selected indicators to test the accuracy and reliability of reported data.

During the next year, OPM will develop written policies and procedures for agency offices to use for collecting, maintaining, tracking, and preparing performance data results. Documented policies and procedures decrease the likelihood of errors in performance data in annual performance reports. When developed and implemented, such policies and procedures would improve the reliability, consistency, and auditability of performance data presented in annual performance reports. These procedures will include internal controls, such as recalculating figures and tracing results to supporting documentation, to support the review and certification of the accuracy of performance data.

In light of the release of the President's Management Agenda and other events associated with it, OPM will undertake a review of its outcomes and measures during the spring of 2002. The agency will conduct this review in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget with an eye toward aligning its goals and objectives, and performance measurement system, with the Management Agenda and the Management Challenges identified by the Office of the Inspector General.

Although each program office develops some performance indicators unique to its program area, most of the agency's performance data is collected through the following mechanisms:

The Merit System Principles Questionnaire (MSPQ) is distributed to a nationwide random sample of Federal employees in the last quarter of the year, with results timed for use in oversight reviews during the subsequent year. This survey is administered to a small but statistically valid sample of Federal employees. The entire questionnaire was rewritten in FY 1999 to solicit respondents' overall impressions of their work units. Because of this, the FY 1999 results established a new baseline.

The MSPQ includes questions on the perception of merit principles and human resources management (HRM) effectiveness, including effective use of employees. It is the primary measurement tool for determining if the merit principles are being consistently honored and to assess whether OPM is maintaining an effective oversight program. Several offices use the results as surrogate measures of certain objectives and as indicators of needed improvements in policy.

The HR Specialists Customer Satisfaction Survey is administered annually and collects information from agency staff working in human resources management positions regarding the quality, usefulness, and effectiveness of the advice, assistance, training, informational materials, and other support the agency provides to these staff for the administration of HR programs across government. A survey of HR specialists was not conducted during FY 2000 because the questionnaire was being revised to align with OPM's corporate measurement framework that was debuted in the agency September 2000 Strategic Plan.

Client Satisfaction Survey (of Retirement Program customers). OPM has conducted annual customer satisfaction surveys of Civil Service retirees and survivor annuitants since 1990. The purpose of the survey is to determine the level of client satisfaction among retired employees and survivor annuitants with services provided by the agency. The areas covered by the survey include processing claims for retirement benefits, answering correspondence, handling telephone inquiries, processing of transactions for existing accounts, and the extent and quality of retirement counseling which the annuitants received from their former employing agencies. Only annuitants retired in the last two years were asked to complete the retirement counseling section.

Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study. The Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study is the primary vehicle for assessing health plan performance within the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. This survey instrument is the health care industry's most thoroughly tested and widely accepted tool for obtaining customer feedback regarding health plan performance. CAHPS-based results are published in the annual FEHB Open Season Guide for each carrier participating in the Program.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an econometric indicator that was developed by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan Business School and has been used in the private sector to measure customer satisfaction since 1994. It is based on modeling of customer evaluations of the quality of goods and services that are purchased in the United States. OPM began participation in the ACSI in 1999 as an objective measurement of customer satisfaction that validates and complements the agency's surveys. Those surveyed were Federal retirees and survivor annuitants. For 2001, OPM=s overall satisfaction score was 78 on a scale of 100. This is a significant 5 points higher than in FY 2000. OPM is delivering services to the annuitants that surpass the private sector score, rated at 70.5.

Summary of Program Evaluation Results

OPM conducts targeted program evaluations, both internal and external, on specific program areas to measure the results of the programs and provide information for our strategic planning activities. Program evaluation activities are primarily conducted within program offices and are supplemented by evaluations conducted by external contractors when necessary. In addition, the Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness (OMSOE) conducts special studies on contemporary, crosscutting HRM issues. The Office of the Inspector General conducts periodic evaluation studies and audits of agency programs that provide an additional source of internal feedback. OPM also uses reports produced by external organizations such as the General Accounting Office, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the National Academy of Public Administration and the groups that audit agency trust funds. Examples of evaluation reports, their results, and the actions the agency took are listed below.

• The first, Telework Works: A Compendium of Success Stories, showcases examples of telework success stories from a variety of jobs and work situations. OPM undertook this study in recognition of its leadership role to encourage agencies to expand their telework programs. Since its inception in 1990 as a Federal pilot project, telework, also known as telecommuting and flexiplace, has become an important tool in the array of work/life programs.
  
  
• The second study, Veterans: Getting Their Preference?, was conducted to determine whether Federal agencies fully and fairly considered veterans' preference eligibles in their hiring decisions under delegated examining during FY 1999, and to ensure that staffing flexibilities were not being systematically misused to intentionally avoid hiring veterans.
  
  
• Another study, Supervisors in the Federal Government: A Wake-Up Call, assessed the status of current efforts in Federal agencies to identify, select, develop, and evaluate first-level supervisors.
  
  
• The fourth study, Federal Benefits Counseling: Putting the Pieces Together, found that benefits counselors believe that OPM and other agencies do provide enough information to counsel employees. However, the report commits OPM to improving benefits counselor training and marketing benefits counseling tools.
  
  
• The fifth study, A Work in Progress: Openness in the Employment Process II, study, which examined the extent to which Federal agencies were meeting their obligation to publicly announce FY 1997 vacancies. This study reports a statistically valid estimate for vacancies filled in FY 1999 and finds that notable improvement has occurred since the first study. The report discusses the common reasons cited by agencies for failure to announce. It also includes recommendations to improve compliance.

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