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FY 2001 Performance and Accountability Report Homepage A Message from the Director A Message from the Chief Financial Officer OPM at a Glance Highlights and Management Accomplishments

A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

am pleased to present the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Performance and Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2001. Our report provides a thorough and complete discussion of our program and financial accomplishments during FY 2001, as well as our vision and plans for the future.

FY 2001 was a transition year for OPM. Through much of the year, the agency was fortunate to enjoy the sound and steady stewardship of Acting Director Steven R. Cohen, who paved the way for a smooth transition and continued to provide valued advice and counsel by remaining as senior advisor after my confirmation.

Our innovative new management team had only just come on board when we were met with the challenges of September 11th. I cannot say enough about the exemplary response of OPM employees and the entire Federal workforce. OPM staff promptly met the government's immediate needs for human resource information and emergency action planning. We provided special waivers and tools to allow agencies to bring in key personnel with the expertise needed to respond to the emergency. These actions often required long hours and extra dedication from our staff.

The unprecedented events of September 11th have refocused priorities and created a new sense of urgency for insuring that the American people are getting results from government. The men and women who make up the government's workforce are key. It is fortuitous that the President began laying important groundwork with the five-part agenda for management reform he released in August—leading with the strategic management of human capital.

During FY 2001, OPM became energized as we embraced the President's agenda and focused on our primary leadership responsibility for human resources management for the Executive Branch of government. In this role, we are working hand-in-hand with the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) to drive improvement across government on the President's human capital management initiative. OPM made significant progress in FY 2001 in developing the tools and building the relationships to support departments and agencies in managing their workforces strategically. This includes the introduction of direct agency assistance by individualized "strike force" teams of OPM staff experts.

Complementing our human capital leadership efforts are advances in technology to make the government's hiring and personnel practices more effective, efficient, and customer friendly. OPM emerged from FY 2001 on track with its internal Retirement Systems Modernization Project and charged with leading five cross-cutting e-Government projects, each of which will significantly improve how agencies recruit, select, and manage their workforces. Two of our projects integrating HR systems and consolidating payroll systems—involve fundamental overhauls of existing internal systems, modernizing them and reducing costs of routine operations across government.

Thanks to our considerable advances in FY 2001, OPM entered the new fiscal year on track to carry out its leadership responsibilities for human resources management. We are engaged in the human capital debate and building toward a world class agency. In the months and years ahead, we will continue working together with our agency customers to attract, hire, manage, and retain a strong, quality workforce with a focus on results for the American people.

Sincerely,
Kay Coles James
Director
U.S. Office of Personnel Management

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