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Open Recommendations (11 total)

U.S. Postal Service: Inspection Service Should Document Its Law Enforcement Workforce Decision-Making Processes

GAO-24-106497
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector fully documents the Inspection Service's processes for determining the size and location of the postal police workforce, including factors that should be considered. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm the actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

U.S. Postal Service: Inspection Service Should Document Its Law Enforcement Workforce Decision-Making Processes

GAO-24-106497
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector sets a time frame for completing a security force assessment to determine the size and location of the postal police workforce. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm what actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector documents the Inspection Service's processes for determining the size and location of the postal inspector workforce across divisions, including factors that should be considered, and document the results of those processes. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm the actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

U.S. Postal Service: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Workforce Diversity Efforts

GAO-24-105732
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure that executive leaders regularly and formally gather employee feedback to assess employee perceptions of USPS's diversity efforts, such as through a diversity and inclusion advisory group, surveys, or focus groups, to measure progress toward stated DEIA goals. (Recommendation 4)
Open
USPS stated that GAO's recommendation is redundant to USPS's ongoing efforts. GAO maintains that USPS's ongoing efforts only partially address its recommendation. When GAO confirms what actions USPS has taken in response to this recommendation, GAO will provide updated information.
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure that executive leaders develop DEIA-specific performance measures, time frames, and responsibilities related to USPS's DEIA goals. (Recommendation 2)
Open
USPS stated that GAO's recommendation is redundant to USPS's ongoing efforts. GAO maintains that USPS's ongoing efforts only partially address its recommendation. When GAO confirms what actions USPS has taken in response to this recommendation, GAO will provide updated information.

U.S. Postal Service: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Workforce Diversity Efforts

GAO-24-105732
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should ensure that executive leaders develop DEIA performance objectives linked to USPS's organizational DEIA goals, including on adhering to EEO policies and principles, to ensure that managers and executives are incorporating leading diversity management practices into their individual performances. This could be through USPS's update to manager and executive performance competency models. (Recommendation 3)
Open
USPS stated that GAO's recommendation is redundant to USPS's ongoing efforts. GAO maintains that USPS's ongoing efforts only partially address its recommendation. When GAO confirms what actions USPS has taken in response to this recommendation, GAO will provide updated information.

U.S. Postal Service: Better Incorporating Leading Practices for Project Management Could Benefit Strategic Plan Implementation [Reissued with revisions on Sept. 19, 2023]

GAO-23-105297
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should direct the Office of Strategic Planning to ensure that the policies and guidance—such as the Strategic Initiative Governance Controls document—used to implement Strategic Plan projects include guidance for project teams to integrate existing cost information in project charters or establish performance baselines for project costs and update those cost estimates throughout the life of projects. (Recommendation 2)
Open
As of May 2024, USPS tracks project schedules and project management information in a new system of record, the Management Analysis and Planning Tool (MAPT). On a case-by-case basis, as directed by the USPS Executive Leadership Team, the Office of Strategic Planning tracks capital cost commitments in MAPT. According to USPS, though, this tracking is redundant to the established Corporate Budget Tracking System. Further, there are no other project-related costs tracked in MAPT. We continue to believe that USPS should track project cost and performance information in the same system. Having at least some key project cost and performance information in the same place would enable management to better monitor projects.

U.S. Postal Service: Better Incorporating Leading Practices for Project Management Could Benefit Strategic Plan Implementation [Reissued with revisions on Sept. 19, 2023]

GAO-23-105297
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Postmaster General should direct the Office of Strategic Planning to ensure that the policies and guidance—such as the Strategic Initiative Governance Controls document—used to implement Strategic Plan projects determine when a project requires an integrated master schedule and require that such a project's team develop and maintain an integrated master schedule for the entire life of the project. (Recommendation 1)
Open – Partially Addressed
As of May 2024, USPS has updated the strategic plan Governance Controls to determine when a project requires an integrated master schedule. However, projects' integrated master schedule information are not required to be for the lifecycle of the project. Further, the decision on whether a project needs such a plan is up to Executive Leadership Team and there is not guidance or criteria on how the team makes these decisions. We will continue to monitor USPS's actions in response to this recommendation, including whether and how it will require projects to maintain integrated master schedules for the entire life of projects.

U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Improve Credibility of Cost Assumptions for Next Generation Delivery Vehicles

GAO-23-106677
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Postal Service The Director of Fleet Management should clearly explain the changes to cost assumptions, including reasons for the change and important methodological details used, in decision analysis reports requesting capital for vehicle orders placed in USPS's vehicle acquisition programs. (Recommendation 2)
Open
As of March 2024, USPS officials stated that the agency had complied with this recommendation in previous decision analysis reports. As stated in GAO-23-106677, we maintain that this recommendation is valid. We will continue to monitor USPS' effort regarding this recommendation.
United States Postal Service The Director of Fleet Management should incorporate leading practices from GAO's Cost Guide into future updates of USPS's cost estimates for acquiring new delivery vehicles. These leading practices include conducting a sensitivity analysis, a risk and uncertainty analysis, cross-checks, and an independent cost estimate. (Recommendation 1)
Open
As of March 2024, USPS has not provided information related to this recommendation. We will continue to monitor USPS' effort regarding this recommendation.
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