Business Practices

CDC at Work Today! Best Business Practices

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues in its readiness to confront the challenges of 21st-century health threats such as terrorism, Avian influenza, and the unrelenting stresses of modern life. This readiness effort also includes modernizing management and accountability to realize tangible savings that can go directly to science and programs that affect people's health. The changes add greater flexibility and accountability.

CDC's Business Management and Accountability Activities are guided by the following principles:

• Stewardship of public funds
• Continuously improving customer service and satisfaction
• Providing the best value for the investment
• Accountability through performance metrics
• Job satisfaction through workforce development
• Searching for innovation in work processes

Quick Highlights:

CDC reallocated more than 600 positions from administrative functions to direct research and program activity positions – such as epidemiologists, medical officers, and laboratorians.

CDC reduced administrative costs by more than $83 million and made these resources available for frontline projects that directly benefit health.

CDC will save $35 million over 7 years and improve its customer service by consolidating 40 separate information hotlines into a single contact center.

Other Examples:

• Reduced hiring time by 47% by restructuring its human resources.
• Consolidated all 13 information technology infrastructure services, with reduced operating costs of 21% ($23 million).
• Completed the decentrialization of the agency to no more than four management levels, which more than doubled CDC’s supervisory ratio from 1:5.5 in 2002 to 1:12. This agency-wide approach reduced the layers in CDC, resulting in compressing the distance between citizens and decision-makers.
• Established CDC-wide Business Services Improvement intranet web site, which provides up-to-date information, including key performance indicators, videos, spotlights, etc., to CDC staff regarding the progress and achievements in the wide range of business services improvements.
• Over the last two years, CDC has conducted public-private sector competitions for various functions covering nearly 1,000 CDC staff positions. As a result, CDC saved over $40 million through the development of most efficient organizational proposals to carry out the functions.
• CDC worked with the National Academy of Public Administration to evaluate and recommend strategies to enhance its diversity, leadership development, and succession planning in four areas: effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and equity. CDC’s new Office of Workforce and Career Development will continue to work with NAPA and others throughout the agency to develop a Diversity Action Plan. Our plan is to ensure CDC's workforce has the diversity and skills needed to achieve its goals.