Collaboration

Achieving meaningful national results in many policy and program areas requires some combination of coordinated efforts among various actors across federal agencies, often with other governments (for example, internationally and at state and local levels), nongovernmental organizations (NGO), for-profit and not-for-profit contractors, and the private sector. Examples of such results include

• taking additional action to protect the homeland;,
• strengthening preparedness for large-scale public health emergencies, like an influenza pandemic;,
• revamping oversight of food safety; and
• improving the United States' image abroad.

These and many other public issues vividly underscore the critical importance of employing broad governance perspective to meet global and national needs and will highlight challenges Congress and the new administration face in devising integrated solutions to such multidimensional problems.

An annual governmentwide performance plan could provide a broader view of the federal government's goals and strategies to address issues that affect different federal agencies and could help highlight redundancy and other inefficiencies in how the government does its business.

A longer-term strategic plan for the federal government, along with key national indicators to assess performance, could also enable governmentwide re-examination of both existing programs and proposed new programs.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has a central role in overseeing the management of federal agencies and promoting interagency collaboration. Consistent with our recommendation to identify additional areas in need of greater collaboration to achieve outcomes, in a June 2009 memorandum, OMB asked agencies to identify a limited a number of high-priority goals along with all the programs both within and external to the agency which must actively collaborate in achieving the goal or which may impact achievement. Although this is a promising start, as our work has shown repeatedly, without leadership commitment, agreed upon goals and strategies, clearly identified roles and responsibilities, and compatible policies and procedures, effective collaboration can be difficult to sustain.

The increasing complexity of how the government does its business—and who does it—presents new challenges to congressional decision making, as well. Throughout the nation's history, Congress has consistently shown the ability to respond to the nation's most technically complex and politically difficult challenges. Congress will increasingly need to rely on integrated approaches to help its decision making on the many issues requiring effective collaboration across federal agencies, levels of government, and sectors.

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

• OMB should fully implement the requirement of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) to develop a governmentwide performance plan.

  Highlights of GAO-04-38 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1026T (PDF)

• Congress should consider amending GPRA to require the President to develop a governmentwide strategic plan.

  Highlights of GAO-04-38 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1026T (PDF)

• As OMB focuses attention on high priority goals that will require the coordinated effort of multiple agencies and programs, it should promote key practices that can enhance and sustain collaboration. These practices include
  • establishing common strategies,
  • leveraging resources,
  • agreeing on roles and responsibilities, and
  • developing compatible policies and procedures.
    Highlights of GAO-06-15 (PDF)
• Congress should consider developing a more systematic vehicle for communicating its top performance concerns that could then better inform and guide its authorization, appropriations, and oversight processes. Congress could develop a congressional performance resolution identifying key oversight and performance goals that Congress wishes to set for its own committees and for the government as a whole. Such a resolution could be developed from currently used congressional budget resolutions, which are already organized by budget function. Congress and its leadership can also develop a list of key areas of congressional interest and emphasis. Senate and House committees could then be organized and directed to develop integrated oversight agendas that target those areas. Such a broad structured oversight agenda could better coordinate a congressional perspective on crosscutting issues as they are addressed by the individual committees. It can also elevate those issues that might best be served by scheduling joint hearings or crosscutting studies, investigations, or other initiatives.

  GAO-08-93SP (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Government Performance

Government Performance

A Call For Stewardship

Results-Oriented Government

Results-Oriented Government

More Reports