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GAO High Risk Improvements Plans

The Department of Homeland Security has drafted an Integrated Strategy for High Risk Management that communicates the Department’s framework for managing mission and management risks and addresses Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk elements recommended in GAO's 2005 report.  Across the Department, initiative owners have incorporated milestones and metrics in order to monitor ongoing corrective action plans. The Department is improving organizational integration and cohesiveness and achieving performance improvement initiatives by implementing the following steps:

1. Assess and audit risk challenges to determine corrective actions and goals that address high risk areas and performance improvement initiatives;
2. Integrate initiatives, managing their interdependencies, and ensuring synergy of these complementary efforts;
3. Improve the metrics that will be used to measure performance;
4. Monitor progress through frequent intra-agency communication, coordination with GAO, and periodic briefings to Office of Management and Budget.

The results of these steps are:

• Clear accountability, including roles and responsibilities of key personnel leading integrative initiatives within the Department;
• Improved execution of Management strategic objectives through Line of Business implementation strategies;
• Established guidelines and processes for the Department to integrate risk into other management systems, such as budget and program reviews;
• Prompt and proper resolution of identified material weaknesses; and
• Execution of a framework that supports a commitment to transparency, continual improvement, and best practice implementation.

For access to our more detailed improvement plans, click on the "Go" button to the right of the heading "Show me the GAO High Risk Issue Plans" on the OMB Web site www.expectmore.gov.

This page was last reviewed/modified on September 19, 2008.