Summary

A consensus has emerged in recent years that the federal government needs to be run in a more businesslike manner. As companies are accountable to their stockholders, the federal government is accountable to taxpayers--and taxpayers are demanding as never before that the dollars they invest in their government be managed and spent responsibly. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 requires federal agencies to set goals and measure performance. To help Congress and federal managers implement the legislation, this guide identifies key steps that agencies need to take along with a series of "best practices" that can help make implementation a success. GAO learned of these practices from organizations that have successfully carried out initiatives similar to those required by the act. Several federal agencies have already put these practices to use, and their efforts are described in case illustrations included in the guide, which is a companion to an earlier GAO document entitled Executive Guide: Improving Mission Performance Through Strategic Information Management and Technology (GAO/AIMD-94-115). That publication outlined information management approaches that could help federal agencies improve their overall performance.