Ready, Set, Go: Time to Finalize FY 2019-2023 Strategic Plans

After months of waiting, Performance.gov is finally back online. While it’s only an interim resource and a brand-new site is forthcoming from The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and General Services Administration (GSA), leaders across the Federal government are thrilled to have something easily accessible to support continued updates to draft strategic plans submitted last summer.

The Trump Administration’s call for large scale reform first outlined in a 2017 OMB memo is beginning to take shape with the release of the FY 2019 President’s Budget, and more important details needed to finish the next round of strategic plans will be announced in March when the President’s Management Agenda is available:

“This March, the Administration will release the President’s Management Agenda to set forth a long-term vision for an effective Government that works on behalf of the American people. The Administration will make aggressive down payments on this vision by establishing key management reform priorities, addressing critical challenges where Government as a whole still operates in the past. To drive these priorities, the Administration will leverage Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goals to coordinate and publicly track implementation across Federal agencies.”

–Performance.gov

The process of preparing strategic plans for Federal agencies is highly prescriptive and follows a well-documented, mandated process. However, without all the necessary inputs, the process grinds to a halt. Why is it so important the FY 2019 Budget was released this week and why are so many waiting with bated breath for the President’s Management Agenda?

Strategic plans are the essential road maps our Government uses to guide its work for our safety and prosperity each day…down to the last detail.

Strategic planning provides a way for agencies to determine if they are achieving their mission. It provides a framework for organizational action by providing organizations within the agency a common basis for assessing situations, discussing alternatives, and deciding appropriate actions to take. Strategic planning in the Federal sector also provides agencies across government a plan for cross-agency action. Simply put, effective strategic planning allows Federal agencies to:

• Improve decision-making
• Foster teamwork and communication
• Assess market and industry forces
• Facilitate effective resource allocation
• Clarify future direction
• Manage change

If you are contributing to your Agency’s strategic planning process for the first time or need a refresher on the latest guidance, join us for Strategic Planning in Federal Agencies. We’re updating our content in real time to bring you the latest information on how to prepare a Federal strategic plan.