Federal Management: Selected Reforms Could Be Strengthened By Following Additional Planning, Communication, and Leadership Practices
Fast Facts
In 2018, the administration released its government-wide reform plan aimed at making the federal government more efficient and effective. The Office of Management and Budget oversees the proposals with support from other lead agencies.
We reviewed 5 reform proposals, including addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage and establishing a Government Effectiveness Advanced Research Center. Planning and implementation have progressed since 2018, but some reform proposals are still missing key details.
We recommended that OMB and lead agencies follow reform practices related to planning, communicating, and leading major reforms.
Government-Wide Reform Plan
Cover of reform plan
Highlights
What GAO Found
In working to implement three selected government-wide reforms that GAO reviewed, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and lead agencies followed some, but not all, of the key practices associated with effective reforms. Following key practices, such as those reflected in the questions below, would better position OMB and lead agencies to effectively implement such major change initiatives and achieve their intended objectives.
Moving background investigations from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the Department of Defense (DOD) : As required, the transfer of background investigations took place by September 30, 2019. OMB, OPM, and DOD generally addressed most key reform practices in this transfer, including involving employees and stakeholders, establishing an implementation team, and developing implementation plans. With the transfer complete, DOD officials told GAO they are shifting focus toward addressing GAO's high-risk area on the government-wide personnel security clearance process.
Solving the cybersecurity workforce shortage : OMB and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partially addressed most leading practices through their efforts to implement several projects, such as reskilling employees to fill vacant cybersecurity positions, and streamlining hiring processes. However, GAO found that OMB and DHS have not established a dedicated implementation team, or a government-wide implementation plan, among other practices. Without these practices in place, OMB and DHS may not be able to monitor implementation activities and determine whether progress is being made toward solving the cybersecurity workforce shortage.
Establishing the Government Effectiveness Advanced Research (GEAR) Center : According to OMB, the GEAR Center will bring together researchers from private and public sectors to inform and develop ways to improve government services and operations. OMB is working toward establishing the GEAR Center by collecting input from the public, academia, and industry for how the Center could be structured and ideas for possible research projects. However, OMB has not yet developed an implementation plan with key milestones and deliverables to track its progress. Developing and communicating an implementation plan will help OMB track the GEAR Center's progress and communicate its results.
Why GAO Did This Study
In June 2018, the administration released its government-wide reform plan, which included 32 proposals aimed at achieving management improvements and organizational efficiencies, among other things. OMB has a central role in overseeing these reform proposals, with support from various lead agencies. In July 2018, GAO reported on key questions to consider when developing and implementing reforms.
GAO was asked to examine reform implementation. This report discusses three selected reforms that the administration prioritized: (1) moving background investigations from OPM to DOD, (2) solving the cybersecurity workforce shortage, and (3) establishing the GEAR Center. For each selected reform, GAO determined the extent to which OMB and the lead agencies addressed key practices for effectively implementing reforms, among other issues.
GAO reviewed relevant documentation and interviewed OMB staff and agency officials. GAO assessed OMB's and lead agencies' efforts against relevant key practices for effective reforms.
Recommendations
GAO is making 7 recommendations to OMB to follow certain key practices to help solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage and to establish the GEAR Center. OMB did not comment on the report.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB, working with DHS, should develop a government-wide communications strategy to inform and, as appropriate, involve Congress, employees, and other stakeholders in implementation of the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage. (Recommendation 1) |
On July 31, 2023, the White House released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. In July 2023, OMB responded that the strategy addressed our recommendation to develop a government-wide communications strategy to help address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. We agree. This strategy included information and guidance for agencies to help strengthen the cybersecurity workforce. The strategy also stated that "communication and transparency builds support and advance best practices." Widespread communication was also included as an element to the plan's model cyber education and workforce development ecosystem.
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| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB, working with DHS, should establish a dedicated government-wide leadership team with responsibility for implementing the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage. (Recommendation 2) |
On July 31, 2023, the White House released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. In July 2023, OMB responded that the strategy addressed our recommendation to establish a dedicated government-wide leadership team with responsibility for implementing the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage. We agree. In December 2022, the National Cyber Director established the National Cyber Workforce Coordination Group (NCWCG). This group serves as the principal interagency forum for departments and agencies to address challenges and opportunities associated with cyber education, training, and workforce development. The Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) will work through the NCWCG to implement this strategy by defining roles and responsibilities and establishing metrics and timelines. ONCD advises the President of the United States on cybersecurity policy and strategy. Established by Congress in 2021, ONCD is a component of the Executive Office of the President. The Office led the development of the President's National Cybersecurity Strategy, which President Biden issued on March 2, 2023.
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| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB, working with DHS, should develop a government-wide implementation plan with goals, timelines, key milestones, and deliverables to track and communicate implementation progress of the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage. (Recommendation 3) |
On July 31, 2023, the White House released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. This strategy included information and guidance for agencies to help address the cybersecurity workforce. The strategy includes four pillars (1) Equip Every American with Foundational Cyber Skills, (2) Transform Cyber Education, (3) Expand and Enhance America's Cyber Workforce, and (4) Strengthen the Federal Cyber Workforce. Each pillar contains related "lines of effort" to track and communicate implementation progress. While progress has been made, we continue to believe that an implementation plan that includes goals, timelines, key milestones, and deliverables to track and communicate implementation progress is needed. In May 2024, the White House issued version two of the National Cybersecurity Implementation Plan. According to the plan, the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) will lead the development and oversee implementation of their National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, and report on progress toward implementation. To accomplish this, ONCD reported that it will work with Federal partners, state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, and other stakeholders to develop a playbook to expand cyber workforce and education ecosystems, and broaden on-ramps into cyber careers to increase the nation's capacity to meet growing demands for cyber workers. This effort is targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025. We will continue to monitor the actions taken to fully address this recommendation.
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| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB, working with DHS, should provide additional information to describe how the projects and activities associated with the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage will address our high-risk issues related to ensuring the cybersecurity of the nation. (Recommendation 4) |
On July 31, 2023, the White House released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. In July 2023, OMB responded that the strategy addressed our recommendation to provide additional information to describe how the projects and activities associated with the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage will address our high-risk issues related to ensuring the cybersecurity of the nation. We agree. This strategy included information and guidance for agencies to help strengthen the cybersecurity workforce. The strategy relies on the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, which enables entities across the public and private sectors to use a common lexicon to describe work done by those who need specific knowledge and skills to perform cybersecurity-related tasks and manage risks to the enterprise. Moreover, this government-wide strategy will provide direction and guidance to assist agencies in addressing our high-risk area to ensure the cybersecurity of the nation.
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| Office of the Director |
Priority Rec.
The Director of OMB, working with DHS, should develop a government-wide workforce plan that assesses the effects of the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage on the current and future federal workforce. (Recommendation 5) |
On March 1, 2023, the White House released a National Cybersecurity Strategy that included an objective to develop a national strategy to strengthen the cyber workforce. Specifically, the national cybersecurity strategy document stated that this workforce strategy would take a comprehensive and coordinated approach to expanding the national cyber workforce, improving its diversity, and increasing access to cyber educational and training pathways. On July 31, 2023, the White House released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. In July 2023, OMB responded that the strategy addressed our recommendation to develop a government-wide workforce plan that assesses the effects of the reform proposal to solve the cybersecurity workforce shortage on the current and future federal workforce. We agree. This strategy included information and guidance for agencies to help strengthen the cybersecurity workforce. The strategy included four pillars with specific "lines of efforts" to guide the plan's implementation. These pillars and lines of effort can be used to track and communicate progress toward solving the cybersecurity workforce shortage.
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| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB should assess the costs and benefits of options for operating the GEAR Center. (Recommendation 6) |
Subsequent to our recommendation, in June 2021, OMB informed us that the current administration has discontinued the GEAR Center effort. Since OMB has discontinued the GEAR Center, an assessment of cost and benefits for the Center is no longer relevant.
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| Office of the Director | The Director of OMB should develop an implementation plan that includes outcome-oriented goals, timelines, key milestones, and deliverables to track and communicate implementation progress of the reform proposal to establish the GEAR Center. (Recommendation 7) |
Subsequent to our recommendation, in June 2021, OMB informed us that the current administration has discontinued the GEAR Center effort. Since OMB has discontinued the GEAR Center, developing an implementation plan for the Center is no longer relevant.
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