Wednesday, October 02, 2002

On October 1 - 3, 8:30 - 3:30, Metrocheks were distributed to participating employees. Those employees who were unable to pick up their Metrocheks during the designated times can go to the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters, located a 400 7^th Street, SW. Take the Metrorail to L'Enfant Plaza, exiting 7^th and D. The Metrochek pickup window is located on the Plaza Level, Southwest corner of DOT in Room 206. The office hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am until 4:00 pm with full coverage during lunch hours. If you have questions, call Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

New Policy to Reconcile Property Records Quarterly

DOC has a new requirement to reconcile property accountability records at least quarterly with the financial control accounts. Property custodians and Property Accountability Officers are asked to update their property inventory in the DOI Fixed Asset System by November 15, February 15, May 15 and August 15. Quarterly updates will relieve the burden on staff of the annual property inventory certification in May and improve the accuracy of the property inventory. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Leslie ITA Property Management Officer, at (202)482-3266 or email Jean_Leslie@ita.doc.gov.

Dun and Bradstreet Service

DOC did not renew their contract for Dun and Bradstreet Services which expired September 30. Offices requiring access to Dun and Bradstreet reports and services during FY2003 must set up an account with Dun and Bradstreet. To set up your account, please submit a form CD-435, Procurement Request, or contact the Dun and Bradstreet representatives, Robin Countryman (703)807-5068 or Chris Palen at (703)807-5071. Your account can be established and monthly payments made using an office VISA purchase card. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Leslie, OOMS, at (202)482-3266 or email Jean_Leslie@ita.doc.gov.

Supervisory Training Workshops

The Workforce Development Division has scheduled a series of workshops designed for supervisors, managers, and employees. All workshops are held from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, in Room 4064. The workshops scheduled for October 2002 are:

Human Resources Management Systems Automated

Tools - October 9, 2002

Time, Attendance, and Leave - October 16, 2002

Family Friendly and Family Medical Leave - October 23, 2002

For additional information on any of the above workshops, please call Julia Law at (202)482-8095. To register for the workshops, call the Workforce Development Division at (202)482-3947.

FY 2002 Budget

September 30, 2002 was the end of Fiscal Year 2002. We are in the process of completing the year-end close activities with accounting assistance from DOI's National Business Center in Denver. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2003 Budget

We still await House action and are operating under a Continuing Resolution (H.J. 111) until October 4, 2002. There is also the possibility a long-term (three month or more) Continuing Resolution could be passed, if the Congress does not intend to take action until after the elections. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2004 Budget

The OMB Hearing on our FY 2004 budget proposal was held on September 26, 2002. We are in the process of answering questions arising from the hearing. The OMB "passback" is scheduled for late November. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Traveler's Corner

Question: Why is common carrier transportation presumed to be the most advantageous method of transportation?

Answer: Travel by common carrier is presumed to be the most advantageous method of transportation because it generally results in the most efficient, least costly, most expeditious means of transportation and the most efficient use of energy resources. If you have questions, call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find....Assistance with my new telephone?

 Many ITA employees have received their new Voice-Over-IP Telephones and others will receive them over the next several months. These telephones have new features, which may raise questions. If you need assistance with your phone, call the Help Desk at X26900. If you need assistance with Voice Mail, call X20711. The Department also has a website describing the phones and their features and answering Frequently Asked Questions at http://home.osec.doc.gov/wiring/hchb6.html.

ITA Yardstick........Using Balanced Measures in ITA

Traditionally, many Federal agencies have measured their organizational performance by focusing on internal or process performance, looking at factors such as the number of full-time equivalents (FTE) allotted, the number of programs controlled by the agency, or the size of the budget for the fiscal year. In contrast, private sector businesses usually focus on the financial measures of their bottom line: return-on-investment, market share, and earnings-per-share. Alone, neither of these approaches provides the full perspective of an organization's performance that would enable managers to manage their programs more effectively. When managers use a balance of internal and process measures with results and financial measures, they gain a complete picture of their program and are able to plan, strategically and operationally, and know where to make improvements. Anyone interested in obtaining an adobe based graphic depiction of ITA's measures by scorecard quadrant should e-mail, Ed_Meyer@ita.doc.gov. If you are interested in learning more about the balanced scorecard or about ITA measures, contact Ed Meyer at (202)482-3304.