Managing for Results: Agencies Need to Fully Identify and Report Major Management Challenges and Actions to Resolve them in their Agency Performance Plans, GAO-16-510: Published: Jun 15, 2016. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2016.

“The GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) requires agencies to describe their major management challenges and identify associated performance information in their agency performance plans (APP). GAO found, however, that 14 of 24 agencies reviewed did not describe their major management challenges in their APPs as required. This is, in part, because the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) guidance is not clear that major management challenges should be identified in the APP. GPRAMA also requires agencies to develop and report performance information–specifically performance goals, measures, milestones, planned actions, and an agency official responsible–needed to resolve the issue. However, GAO found that 22 of the 24 agencies reviewed did not report complete performance information for each of their major management challenges. Again, this may be in part because OMB’s guidance is unclear. As a result, it was not always transparent what these agencies considered to be their major management challenges or how they planned to resolve these challenges. GAO also found that the number of major management challenges reported by these agencies ranged from none (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) to 17 (Department of Defense) with most having 5 or more. GAO found there were generally seven management functions that were most frequently cited as major management challenges across these 24 agencies: 1) acquisition and procurement, 2) contract management and contractor oversight, 3) cybersecurity, 4) financial management, 5) human capital management, 6) addressing improper payments, and 7) real property management…”