Social Security: Status and Evaluation of Agency Management Improvement Initiatives
HRD-89-42
Published: Jul 24, 1989. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 1989.
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Highlights
GAO assessed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) progress in implementing GAO recommendations for improving SSA management, focusing on: (1) the status and effectiveness of SSA corrective actions; (2) the reasonableness, timeliness, and completeness of actions in progress; and (3) how SSA planned to sustain the actions and ensure their continued progress and effectiveness.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | The Commissioner of Social Security should create a system independent of the managers responsible for implementing SSA initiatives to systematically evaluate whether the initiatives are accomplishing their objectives and implement further improvements if warranted. |
Closed – Implemented
SSA has developed a unified planning system as part of a strategic planning process. A tracking system to monitor the agency's strategic initiatives is being developed. This system will provide information to compare actual results to original costs, schedule and performance goals, allowing assessment of whether progress is achieved.
|
| Social Security Administration | The Commissioner of Social Security should develop a process to systematically compare planned with actual program results at the end of each planning and budget cycle and use these evaluations in formulating the next year's plans and budgets. |
Closed – Implemented
SSA has created a strategic planning and budgeting process and a means to track and measure progress.
|
| Social Security Administration | To ensure that the many information systems issues still needing attention are adequately addressed, the Commissioner of Social Security should designate a senior official with full-time responsibility and accountability for information resources management (IRM) reporting directly to the Commissioner. |
Closed – Implemented
SSA has appointed a senior official as the principal IRM official.
|
Full Report
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Topics
Federal agency reorganizationFederal social security programsFinancial managementGeneral management reviewsInformation resources managementInternal controlsPersonnel managementStrategic information systems planningStrategic planStrategic planning