Performance Management and Reporting at NASA
- Paper number
IAC-09.E3.1.2
- Author
Ms. Sarah Ramsey, The Tauri Group, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Anne Simmons
- Coauthor
Ms. Lindsey Bagley
- Coauthor
Mr. Ryan May
- Coauthor
Ms. Casey Cahoon
- Coauthor
Ms. Susie Johnson
- Year
2009
- Abstract
The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993(GPRA) requires 24 U.S. federal agencies, including NASA, to communicate to the public and Congress the plans and progress of each agency’s activities via strategic plans, performance budgets, and performance and accountability reports. In the 16 years since GPRA became law, external reporting requirements levied on NASA have increased dramatically, yet cost and schedule overruns at NASA continue. NASA now reports quarterly, semi-annually, or annually on cost and schedule performance to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congress, and the General Accountability Office (GAO). Under the Obama administration, there is a re-emphasized push for federal agencies to detail exactly how they are spending taxpayer money and if their government programs deliver good value to the country. Over the next few years every government agency will be held to a higher standard of reporting to prove to that the money it receives is well spent. NASA’s programs vary greatly in size, complexity, and duration, and the Agency’s performance measurement metrics and methods reflect that variety. This paper will compare measurement processes for programs and projects across the Agency. Detailed examples of project and program performance reporting will be included. NASA now faces fresh challenges in access to space coupled with increased federal competition for funds. The Agency will need to find new ways to measure and communicate performance in a way that will bolster public confidence in the NASA’s ability to use taxpayer dollars effectively to achieve its goals. This paper examines the history and progress of performance reporting at NASA. It will also answer the questions: What improvements have been made? What hurdles remain to be overcome?
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)