Accountability Overview

Strategic Planning and Accountability

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has developed and implemented an Integrated Accountability System that will enable the agency to meet each initiative in the President’s Management Agenda. This system is a set of data collection tools, processes and related applications that provide information in a timely manner to support the agency’s strategic and performance planning, performance monitoring, budget formulation, business planning, operations management, workforce planning, and accountability activities. The system was designed to collect high quality information with minimal burden on the field, to ensure consistency nationwide in the data collected, and to make the information accessible to those who need it in a timely manner.

This overview describes the major system components, their purpose, and how this system has significantly improved the ability of the agency in fulfilling its mission in an effective and efficient manner. The mission of the NRCS is "To provide leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, improve and maintain our natural resources and environment."

In fiscal year 1998, the Natural Resources Conservation Service initiated the development of a comprehensive system of information and management tools to respond to concerns regarding agency accountability and to fully meet the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act. The NRCS Strategic Plan sets the direction and focus for the agency while the Integrated Accountability System monitors the progress. The components of the accountability system include:

A Conservation Information System that provides the Natural Resources Conservation Service managers real time budget expenditures and obligations, as well as performance data summaries via a web-based computer system. It combines actual cost data with planned data so that comparisons and status of obligations and outlays can be monitored.

A Business and Performance Plan, which is completed at the national, regional and state levels, provides a “roadmap” to successful completion of performance goals. The agency has implemented a state business and performance plan process that is reviewed at the regional and national levels to ensure that program fund allocations are used to achieve accountability goals.  It contains real, concrete and tangible actions with specific completion dates and responsible individuals. It is updated quarterly.

A Performance Results System provides web-based detailed performance accomplishment data, updated daily.  It tracks and monitors agency-wide performance goals and progress toward achieving those goals. The system is streamlined and user-friendly, and aligns the agency performance measurement with the Government Performance and Results Act.  Reports are available on a national, regional or state basis.  

The Total Cost Accounting System is a national database for recording time and attendance information.  It provides data via a web-based application on how staff resources (staff hours and total wages, staff benefits and total costs) are being used by program, activity and location. It is updated every two weeks.

The Workload Analysis system is a national database that identifies the quantity and types of human resources needed to deliver conservation to the American public.  Workload Analysis focuses on field-level activities conducted by the NRCS and partners (Soil and Water Conservation Districts, State Conservation agencies, and Resource Conservation and Development Councils). Data is collected to support workforce planning, resource allocation decisions, and other strategic management efforts. It is updated on a one to three-year interval. The agency is also successfully using the Conservation Partnership Workload Analysis for 2001 to analyze all new or revised agency policies and procedures to minimize workload impacts on the staff and for analyzing workload impacts from various Farm Bill proposals. Use of the model for efficiency analysis has resulted in savings of several hundred staff years of workload.

The Foundation Financial Information System, established by the USDA Chief Financial Officer, is a department-wide financial management and accountability system that facilitates program integrity, accountability and delivery.

The Workforce Planning process is supported by an automated system, that assists leadership in making staffing determinations that will result in the right people at the right place with the appropriate skills to meet customers’ changing needs.

Future Plans

The agency continues to improve the accountability systems. The Natural Resources Conservation Service and the conservation partnership will be developing the Conservation Journal. The Conservation Journal is a web-based data collection and reporting system that will allow the NRCS and conservation partnership to record accomplishments by activity and program and the time, in lieu of entering data in the Performance Results System and Total Cost Accounting System. This will allow the agency to more fully describe accomplishments and costs of the many national, state and local conservation programs.

Summary

The Integrated Accountability System team has created an overall information system that: has all data fully integrated so that it supports intended uses and other components, provides for easy access for users (including conservation partners), minimizes field reporting burden, maximizes field use of the information, eliminates side records, contains links to all data in one central location, allows the user to select the most important standard reports, and meets customer needs. The agency has been recognized as a federal leader in performance measurement and has been asked to make presentations on the Integrated Accountability System at numerous national conferences and forums.

< Back to Strategic Planning and Accountability