Summary

The Government Performance and Results Act requires government agencies to define their missions, set goals, measure performance, and report on their accomplishments. With the passage of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, performance-based and result-oriented decision-making is now required for all major investments in information technology. To help federal agencies understand and devise effective approaches to implement and measure information technology initiatives, GAO reviewed public and private groups known for their information technology leadership and management expertise. GAO applied the lessons learned from these organizations and developed a framework that agencies can consider when designing and implementing their performance management approaches for information technology.