The Government Accountability Office has called on Congress and the White House to ask several questions that could help evaluate reform efforts of federal agencies.GAO said in a report published Friday those questions are divided into four categories: goals and outcomes; process for reform developments; reform implementation; and strategic management of the federal workforce.
President Trump signed in March 2017 an executive order that would require federal agencies to merge functions and cancel unnecessary agencies, components and programs as part of a government-wide reorganization.
For goals and outcomes category, GAO said the executive branch and lawmakers should evaluate how an agency established performance measures and outcome-oriented goals for the proposed reforms.
Congress should assess how agencies address duplication, overlap and fragmentation areas in the development of their proposed reform measures and whether they have an implementation team to oversee the reform process.
Other questions posed by GAO seek to know how agencies plan to sustain employee engagement during and after reform implementation and carry out strategic workforce planning to determine if they have the required competencies and resources for the reforms.
