Strategic Outcome 2: REE managers and decision makers implement informed business choices because of proactive, objective, and equitable administrative and financial management advice and analysis.
Goal 2.1  REE leaders rely on administrative and financial management capabilities to anticipate important and relevant new ssues and provide viable solutions.
Objective 2.1.1  Anticipate Emerging Issues
Lead: EAD
  
Performance Target :
  • Communications with appropriate external organizations provide relevant information to REE decision makers in sufficient time for them to take any necessary action.
Performance Indicator(s):
  • REE customers recognize that the administrative and financial management community consistently provides advance notice of emerging financial and administrative issues of importance to them.

  • Process for early communication of emerging issues is established by September 1996.
Baseline:
  • Formal and informal information updates on emerging issues.
  
Strategies:
  • Meet with REE decision makers to establish process for early identification of emerging issues.
    Establish links to appropriate outside organizations.
    Develop a process for distribution of information to REE decision makers.
  
Accomplishments: Areas:
  • Maintains contact with regulatory agencies, professional colleagues, and public groups,
    and communicates information to Area and Location employees to ensure that all are well
    informed of emerging issues. Information is obtained by various means including: researching
    grant release notices from commodity groups; researching relevant Internet sites; reviewing
    construction newsletters; monitoring state and federal regulatory proposals; and by maintain
    contact with professional contracting organization.
HQ:
  • Headquarters maintained currency with relevant events and distributed information to the
    field by: briefings designed to provide an overview of acquisition regulations in advance of the
    formal hard copy; advance notification of moratorium on certain IT acquisitions; request for
    input into policies and procedures to obtain field "reality" check; coordination with ARS
    management of the requirements of the ARMP cycle in advance of actual requirements; and by
    participation in various professional departmental Councils.
  
Positive Impact: Areas:
  • Well-informed field administrative work force, better able to serve the strategic needs of
    the research community.
HQ:
  • Streamlining administrative procedures which increased headquarters' ability to respond to
    program needs by improving response time, and by creating a better understanding in the field of
    why the data are needed.
  
Negative Impact: Areas:
  • Customers suffer from information overload by different information from various
    sources, as well as create a burden for the reader to decide what is relevant.
HQ:
  • Some Federal and USDA calls for data with immediate response times may result in a
    decrease in the quality of responses because of insufficient time to respond to the inquiry.
  
Goal 2.2  Customers recognize that administrative and financial management services are provided equitably.
Objective 2.2.2  Establish Cost Allocation Process
Lead: FMD
  
Performance Target :
  • An equitable cost allocation process exists that is understood and approved by the REE Agency Administrators.
Performance Indicator(s):
  • Agency Administrators approve the cost allocation process for FY 1996.

  • Approved process used in the development of FY 1997 budget for AFM.
Baseline:
  • Processes used by REE agencies prior to the reorganization.

  • Process used to allocate AFM costs for FY 1995 and FY 1996.
  
Strategies:
  • Identify program priorities of the Agency Administrators.
    Review and validate current and alternative basis and process for distributing AFM costs and obtain customer
    approval.
    Provide periodic briefings to Agency Administrators and senior staff.
  
Accomplishments: Areas:   
HQ:
  • AFM-FMD prepared and presented the FY-98 AFM budget projection to REE client agencies based on the level of services provided to the agencies.
  
Positive Impact: Areas:   
HQ:
  • The complete and concise information contained in the budget projection enabled client agencies to understand the methodology for assessments of AFM services.
  
Negative Impact: Areas:   
HQ:   
  
Goal 2.3  Customers recognize Administrative and Financial Management as the provider of choice because we meet our customer service requirements.
Objective 2.3.1  Establish Customer Service Plans
Lead: HRD
MSA
  
Performance Target :
  • Develop, publish, and distribute customer service plans that are responsive to customer requirements.
Performance Indicator(s):
  • A common framework is established for use by AFM staff in developing individual customer service plans by June 1996.

  • Identify customer service delivery requirements by May 1996.

  • Service delivery standards are incorporated in performance plans by October 1996.

  • During FY 1997, at least 75 percent of customers rate service delivery to be good to excellent.
Baseline:
  • Established processing times per current policy and procedures manuals.
  
Strategies:
  • Identify critical services that require customer service plans.
    Benchmark against other organizations customer service plans.
    Provide AFM customer service plan to customers.
    Measure AFM accomplishments in meeting service delivery standards established in the customer service plan.
  
Accomplishments: Areas:
  • A customer service plan has been established at a number of locations including the Southern Regional Research Center and the Mid West Area Office. Customer service plans are being developed by other units.
HQ:
  • HRD Customer Service Development Team has identified HRD critical services that require customer service plans; developed draft standards for each critical service provide; and established draft time lines for implementing and measuring the HRD Customer Service Plans. FD established Customer Service Plans for (1)engineering & contracting, (2)real property management, (3)space management, and (4)safety, health, and environmental mangement.
  
Positive Impact: Areas:
  • Provides Area Office employees names, phone numbers, and job duties to location personnel.

  • Customers offer positive feedback on existing plans.
HQ:
  • None.
  
Negative Impact: Areas:
  • Customer service plans are not generally accessible to customers.

  • Development of customer service plans take considerable time and effort.
HQ:
  • Development of customer service plans require considerate time and effort.
  
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