NextGen Air Transportation System: FAA's Metrics Can Be Used to Report on Status of Individual Programs, but Not of Overall NextGen Implementation or Outcomes
GAO-10-629
Published: Jul 27, 2010. Publicly Released: Jul 27, 2010.
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Highlights
To prepare for forecasted air traffic growth, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in partnership with other federal agencies and the aviation industry, is planning and implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a new satellite-based air traffic management system that will replace the current radar-based system and is expected to enhance the safety and capacity of the air transport system. GAO was asked to review FAA's metrics for (1) tracking the status of NextGen programs and the implementation of NextGen capabilities, the reliability of those metrics, and any limitations or gaps and (2) measuring the performance and outcomes of NextGen capabilities that are implemented and any limitations. GAO analyzed FAA program progress reports and associated metrics for monitoring. GAO also reviewed agency performance and accountability reports and discussed internal performance reporting methods with FAA officials.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | To ensure that FAA can effectively manage NextGen solution sets, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to develop written policies and procedures for dispute resolution across different FAA lines of business and outline the appropriate roles of the solution set managers, program managers, and the NextGen Management Board in managing these portfolios of improvements. | In July 2010, we found that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had instituted a portfolio approach to implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) designed to help the agency assess and convey the implementation status of interrelated capabilities and operational improvements, but that this approach lacked written policies and procedures to guide resolution of any disputes between FAA lines of business and that roles and responsibilities for oversight and accountability were unclear. Because implementation of NextGen capabilities requires action across various lines of business with separate budgets within FAA, the potential exists for disputes and issues... to arise that may hamper timely implementation. A lack of clear dispute resolution procedures and clear roles related to oversight and accountability raise questions about how quickly and effectively any such disputes or issues that arise will be resolved, and who is responsible and accountable for implementation. We therefore recommended that FAA develop written policies and procedures for dispute resolution across different FAA lines of business and outline the appropriate roles of portfolio managers, program managers, and the NextGen Management Board, which is responsible for overseeing NextGen implementation overall, in managing these portfolios of improvements. In response, in 2011, FAA initiated quarterly portfolio management reviews which include members from all FAA lines of business affected by the NextGen capabilities being implemented. As a written policy and procedure, any disputes or issues across these lines of business are to be resolved at these quarterly meetings, and if not resolved, are elevated to the NextGen Management Board - which includes the leadership of all FAA lines of business and has the authority to force timely resolution of emerging NextGen issues. In addition, in April 2013, an agencywide framework called "Ideas-to-In-Service" (i2i) was initiated and key components were incorporated into the agency's acquisition management system. The i2i framework defines the collaboration, structure, and coordination required of all FAA lines of business and staff offices to insure the successful implementation of NextGen. The i2i framework also clearly defines the role of portfolio managers, who are responsible for tracking performance, schedules, milestones and resources for their portfolio of NextGen capabilities, and are responsible for conducting the quarterly portfolio management reviews, in relation to the NextGen Management Board and individual project managers. These changes will improve oversight and accountability for implementation of NextGen capabilities, resulting in greater assurance that improvements to the air transportation system will be made and the benefits NextGen promises will be realized.
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| Department of Transportation | To ensure that the outcomes and performance expected from NextGen improvements are understood and can be monitored, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FAA Administrator to develop a timeline and action plan to work with industry and federal partner agencies to develop an agreed-upon list of outcome-based performance metrics and goals for NextGen broadly and for specific NextGen portfolios, programs, and capabilities. The Administrator should then share this list with the appropriate congressional oversight committees. Furthermore, the Administrator should establish a clear timeline to align NextGen performance metrics with FAA's agencywide goals and performance plans. | In July 2010, we found that, although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has broad goals for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), such as enhancing safety, reducing aviation's environmental impact, and increasing operations and efficiency, specific goals for NextGen as a whole have yet to be determined and FAA has not agreed on a set of overall performance metrics that it can use to measure progress. In addition, FAA's performance reports to the Congress and the public discuss only a few NextGen capabilities and programs that are expected to have an effect on existing agencywide metrics and do not include any performance information specific to ongoing NextGen...
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Gerald L. Dillingham
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Topics
Air traffic control systemsAir traffic controllersAir transportationAviationData integrityEarned value management systemsMonitoringPerformance measuresPlanningProgram evaluationSchedule slippagesStrategic information systems planningSystems designSystems integrationTransportation planningProgram managementStrategic planningPolicies and proceduresProgram coordinationProgram goals or objectivesProgram implementation