Agile Products Toolkit

The public and policymakers demand, expect, and deserve more timely reporting of potential risks and management concerns associated with pandemic response programs. This toolkit can help you issue thorough, accurate, and professional reports quickly.

What is an agile products toolkit?

This toolkit is a set of guidelines, best practices, and lessons learned to consider while conducting, completing, and issuing reports or other work products.

Why we created the agile products toolkit.

We created this guide to help oversight agencies address concerns of an increased risk of fraud and misuse given the amount of money and speed with which funds were disbursed, in response to the public health and economic crises resulting from the coronavirus epidemic. You can use flash and other special reports to meet these concerns, while continuing to adhere to the professional standards we’ve come to expect from Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs). Federal, state, and local oversight agencies can use this toolkit as a guide for conducting quick-response reviews.

When would I use an agile product?

We’ve identified and defined four primary situations where your office may want to consider using an agile product:

1. Urgent Risk Identification Typically a descriptive product that outlines risk areas for agency consideration based on prior OIG work. Examples include white papers, capstone reports, management advisory reports, or memorandums.

2. Information Sharing A descriptive product that provides a status or snapshot on agency or program activities or funding. These products are often seen in the form of status reports, flash reports, and information memorandums.

3. Interim Assessment Assessments that can also be used to share information with stakeholders more quickly during a broad scope review, a targeted assessment of a large program, or a series of reviews. Examples of interim assessments are management alerts, management advisory reports, memorandums, and interim reports.

4. Summarizing Lessons Learned A descriptive product that outlines lessons learned for agency consideration based on prior OIG work. These are often produced as white papers, capstone reports, management advisory reports, or memorandums.

Learn more about our recommendations and review examples in the full report.