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August 10, 2004
MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENT COMPONENTS
FROM: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL [signed John Ashcroft]
SUBJECT: Performance Management Plans for SES Members and Managers
Throughout this Administration President Bush has called for government to be "results-oriented." With that call in mind, and consistent with the President's Management Agenda (PMA) and the ten management goals I outlined for the Department early in my tenure, the Department will be putting in place new performance plans for our Senior Executive Service (SES) members and managers.
Over the course of the past three years we have made good progress in meeting the objectives of the PMA. I monitor the scorecard issued by OMB and OPM on a quarterly basis. Although we have enjoyed an all green record on the "progress" side of the scorecard, we have not been as successful on the "status" side. I was pleased that we progressed to a yellow "status" score for E-gov last quarter, but disappointed that two other areas where we had expected scoring to improve, Human Capital and Performance/Budget Integration, remained red on "status."
Our discussions with OMB and OPM have made it clear that there is one action we must take this current quarter to achieve an improved score for both of these areas at the end of September, and that is to implement new SES performance plans. This action will tie individual performance plans to the Department's Strategic Plan, helping to ensure that our resources are mission-focused and results-oriented.
Since March, there has been an SES Performance Management Working Group, led by the Justice Management Division but with participation from around the Department, discussing these issues and making recommendations for implementing the new plans. Thanks to their hard work we will meet this challenging goal.
JMD will be providing more detailed guidance and instructions, including a day-long training session, to assist components in implementing the new plans. Assistant Attorney General Corts will send a memorandum to our SES members during this same time period to ensure they understand and are able to participate in the process of creating their individual plans. Because of my interest in a rapid and sound implementation of this important initiative, I am asking that all plans be completed and signed by September 17, 2004. I also am requesting that each of you certify to me by September 22 that 100% of your executives' and managers' plans are in place. Thank you for your commitment to the Department and to this effort.
Page created August 19, 2004
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