CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERS COUNCIL

AND

JOINT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Building The Work Force

Capacity to Successfully

Implement

Financial Systems

October 2001

EXPOSURE

DRAFT

JOINT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

JFMIP

1990 K Street NW 

Suite 430 

Washington, DC 20006

Principals 

David M. Walker 

Comptroller General of the United 

States 

Paul H. O’Neill 

Secretary of the Treasury 

Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. 

Director 

U.S. Office of Management and 

Budget 

Kay Coles James 

Director 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management 

Steering Committee 

Jeffrey C. Steinhoff (Chair) 

Managing Director 

Financial Management and Assurance 

U.S. General Accounting Office 

Donald V. Hammond 

Fiscal Assistant Secretary 

Department of the Treasury 

Joseph L. Kull 

Deputy Controller 

U.S. Office of Management and 

Budget 

Kathleen M. McGettigan 

Chief Financial Officer 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management 

William B. Early, Jr. 

Chief Financial Officer 

General Services Administration 

Karen Cleary Alderman 

Executive Director, JFMIP

Date: October 15, 2001 

To: Senior Financial Officials 

From: Executive Director, JFMIP - Karen Cleary Alderman 

Subject: Exposure Draft of Building the Work Force Capacity to 

Successfully Implement Financial Systems 

One of the key challenges facing the federal financial management 

community is having a highly qualified work force to successfully 

implement new financial systems in departments and agencies. The 

Financial Systems Committee and Human Resources Committee of the 

U.S. Chief Financial Officers Council worked together with the JFMIP 

staff to develop strategies to improve the recruitment, retention and 

training of personnel working on financial system implementations. This 

strategy document recommends ways for agencies to build work force 

capacity to undertake complex financial system initiatives. 

The exposure draft can be found at JFMIP website, www.jfmip.gov 

Please provide any comments by December 21, 2001 to: 

 JFMIP 

 1990 K St. NW, Suite 430 

 Washington, DC 20006. 

The CFO Council Committees and JFMIP appreciate the contributions 

from various agencies sharing their experiences and views on project 

management and their recommendations to improve the work force. If 

you have any questions on this document, please contact Doris Chew at 

(202) 219-0528 or email doris.chew@gsa.gov. 
2  JOINT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

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Executive Summary

One of the priorities of the U.S. Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Council is to

improve financial performance through better financial management systems. By

2004, 62 percent of the financial system applications will reach an end life. This

creates a critical need for approximately 500 highly competent project managers

and 5,000 team members to support the implementation of new systems.

The Bush administration has identified several management reform initiatives,

including strategic management of human capital, improving financial performance

and expanding e-government. A key concern is whether the federal government

will have qualified personnel to work on meeting these management goals. To

obtain better financial management information, most federal agencies will use

commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) financial software packages to implement their

new financial management systems. They face a higher risk of project failure if they

do not have qualified personnel to manage the implementation projects. The labor

market for experienced project managers is very tight, and the availability of project

managers with COTS experience is even tighter. This is a major issue that federal

agencies need to address since considerable resources are at risk.

Under the auspices of the Financial Systems Committee and Human Resources

Committee of the CFO Council and the JFMIP, an interagency team was established to develop strategies to build the work force capacity for financial system

implementation projects. The team made recommendations in several areas,

including recommending a “model financial system implementation team,” strategies to recruit qualified project managers and team members, ways to retain

personnel in federal agencies using current legislation and regulations, and better

project management training at federal agencies.
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BUILDING THE WORK FORCE CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT SYSTEMS

MODEL FINANCIAL SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

 Designate a senior-level champion to provide strategic direction, make

decisions and remove barriers to success.

 Develop a planning document to implement a financial system that

identifies personnel who are accountable for timely deliverables.

 Ensure cross-functional participation and support (Chief Financial

Officer, Chief Information Officer, human resources executive, program

areas, subject matter experts, etc.).

 Ensure project managers are equipped with the right skills to implement financial systems within the agency.

 Ensure adequate resources (people, money, and time) are committed to

do the job right.

 Ensure that the implementation team is comprised of zealous individuals with the right skill mix and attitude to complete assigned tasks.

 Develop a well-conceived change management strategy that addresses

required business process changes, technology changes, and associated

personnel changes.

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES

 Simplify the administrative hiring process and reduce processing time.

 Promote public service.

 Develop special strategies for senior project managers and for entry and

journeyman-level personnel.

 Develop a corporate database of available project management

resources.

 Identify a cadre of senior project managers and their teams experienced

in successfully implementing a COTS financial management system

package in a federal agency.

Some of the recommendations for each area are as follows:
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 Establish a two-track system using excepted appointments with market-based pay, bonus options, full benefits, and promotions and pay

increases based on competencies and performance.

 Use special salary rates, temporary promotions, and appointments.

 Use recruitment and relocation bonuses, and retention allowances.

 Use expanded authority to repay student loans.

 Provide ongoing training and developmental assignments.

 Develop relationships to tap unique pools of talent for project management, financial management, and information technology skills, i.e.

former or retired military and civilian personnel or similar sources

within the private sector, as well as institutions of higher learning,

recognized certification programs, and professional associations.

 Work with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a

special salary rate for financial management system staff positions

comparable to the information technology personnel.

 Use branding/marketing to establish a positive image for the agency.

 Broaden the search by using alternative advertising.

 Pay employee referral bonuses.

RETENTION STRATEGIES

 Use group retention allowances, awards, and recognition programs.

 Create challenging work assignments and better work environments.

 Use financial incentives to encourage employees to build and maintain

their professional competence; compensate for designated professional

certifications.

TRAINING STRATEGIES

 Encourage professional development of individuals by setting aside

part of the organization’s budget and the financial system implementation project’s budget for training.

 Provide executive-level training for the project sponsor and steering

committee. Use programs such as the Strategic and Tactical Advocates

for Results (STAR) Program to give government executives the skills

necessary to face the challenges of today’s management environment
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BUILDING THE WORK FORCE CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT SYSTEMS

where agency finance, business, and information technology people

need to be comfortable operating together—strategically and tactically.

 Establish a career development program to give personnel the opportunity to work on financial systems projects.

 Have senior project managers or recently retired project managers

mentor employees who need to learn about managing projects.

 Develop a strategy and identify the technical skills that should be

contracted out and those that should be provided by staff.

 Develop agency-specific courses for financial system implementation as

indicated.

 On the job training (OJT) program that rotates individuals through the

various business functions of the agency to gain the day-to-day operational view of the agency’s mission.

NEXT STEPS

 Have OPM consider a special salary rate for financial management

system staff positions comparable to the information technology

personnel.

 Use branding/marketing to establish a positive image for the agency.

 Broaden the search by using alternative advertising.

 Pay employee referral bonuses.

The federal government must act now to dedicate resources for building a better

work force capable of implementing financial management systems at agencies. We

need to identify administration officials to discuss project management and human

resources issues so that mangement goals are met. We also recommend OMB work

force reviews raise questions on whether agencies have qualified personnel to meet

the administration’s management reform goals for e-government and financial

management performance. More partnerships need to be established to obtain

competent personnel to successfully implement financial systems.
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CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................. 7

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 8

MODEL FINANCIAL SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION TEAM .......................................... 9

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES ............................................................................ 13

RETENTION STRATEGIES ................................................................................ 17

TRAINING STRATEGIES .................................................................................. 20

OTHER STRATEGIES ...................................................................................... 21

NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................. 22

APPENDIX A. WEBSITES ................................................................................ 23

APPENDIX B. CONTRIBUTORS ........................................................................ 24
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BUILDING THE WORK FORCE CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT SYSTEMS

ABBREVIATIONS

CFO Chief Financial Officer

CIO Chief Information Officer

COTS commercial off-the-shelf

GAO General Accounting Office

GOTS government off-the-shelf

JFMIP Joint Financial Management Improvement Program

OMB Office of Management and Budget

OPM Office of Personnel Management

 STAR Strategic and Tactical Advocates for Results
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INTRODUCTION

Federal agencies use core financial management

systems and other systems to track financial events

and summarize information to support agency

missions, provide for adequate management reporting, support agency policy decisions necessary to

carry out fiduciary responsibilities, and support the

preparation of audited financial statements. In fiscal

year 2000, 698 operational systems and approximately 1,044 applications were in use, at an annual

cost of about $2.3 billion.1

Change management is a critical concern. By 2004,

62 percent of the system applications will reach an

end life. The CFO Council identified several human

resources issues that must be addressed to successfully move forward with the planned system upgrades

and replacements. The magnitude of the human

resources issues (recruiting, retaining, and training

qualified project managers and team members) is

defined as follows: with an average of 10 federal

government employees per project and an estimated

500 projects underway at any point, 500 highly

competent project managers and about 5,000 team

members will be needed to support these implementations.

In today’s job market, there is a high premium for

experienced project managers. To compete in the

tight market, the federal government needs effective

strategies to recruit, retain, and train personnel

capable of successfully implementing financial

systems. Recruitment is the primary challenge.

Individual agencies competing among themselves

for a limited number of project managers within the

federal government will not meet federal work force

needs projected for 2004. The federal government

must address this problem in a corporate way and

build its work force capacity.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has designated strategic human capital management as a

governmentwide high-risk area. Many agencies are

experiencing serious human capital challenges, such

as skills imbalances, succession planning challenges,

outdated performance management systems, and

understaffing. The GAO Performance and Accountability Series and High Risk Update (published January 2001) provide additional perspectives on reforming and modernizing the federal government’s

approach to managing its people.

This report provides a basis for the federal government to begin a disciplined change management

process and build the capacity within its work force

to implement financial systems projects over the next

5 years. An interagency team prepared the study.

Representatives were from the CFO Council’s

Financial Systems Committee and Human Resources Committee and JFMIP (see Appendix A). The

report is based on the experiences of federal agencies

that have recently implemented financial systems.

The evaluation team noted that, without exception,

federal agencies adopted a project team approach to

implementation. In addition, representatives of

organizations within and external to the federal

government were asked to identify common recruitment, retention, and training strategies that they

considered essential. Finally, senior executives and

project managers were interviewed to identify

practices needed to attract and retain good people.

Several studies, guidelines, and other written materials were also considered.

This report begins with a section that provides

details on the structure of and roles needed in a

“model” financial system implementation team and

briefly addresses the variety of skill sets required by

the team. The report then suggests specific strategies

for recruiting, retaining, and training project managers, financial system analysts, system accountants, IT

personnel, and others responsible for implementing

financial management systems.

1

 Source: Office of Management and Budget.
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MODEL FINANCIAL

SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

TEAM

This “model” financial system implementation team

assumes that the system being implemented uses

commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) or government

off-the-shelf (GOTS) software. In other words, an

existing system is being implemented rather than a

new system being custom built. This section does

not address the system development process, which

is more complex, or the significant changes to

processes, organization, and culture that are required

when implementing COTS or GOTS systems. This

“model” does not reflect implementing a financial

system at an application service provider.

The general phases of the system implementation

process are as follows:

z Business needs and requirements analysis

(including security)

z Business process reengineering

z Project planning, which includes

 risk assessment and

 infrastructure assessment

z Software evaluation, selection, and installation

z Software configuration

z Testing

z Training

z Software development (interfaces and

enhancements)

z Data cleanup and conversion.

The complexity and success of each of the above

project phases depend on many factors beyond the

scope of this human resources study. The following

factors, however, are critical to the success of the

overall project:

z A senior-level champion (sponsor) to provide strategic direction and support and to

remove barriers to the project’s success

z Cross-functional participation and support

(CFO, Chief Information Officer, program

areas, subject matter experts, etc.)

z A strong, appropriately experienced project

manager with authority to make decisions

z Good communications throughout the

project, including a management document

that identifies critical actions and people

responsible for deliverables, and holding

parties accountable for these deliverables

z Sufficient resources (staffing and funding)

z A well-conceived change management

strategy that addresses required business

process changes, technology changes, and

associated personnel changes.

These critical success factors imply the need for a

steering committee of senior agency executives to

provide oversight for the successful implementation

of the project, a senior executive sponsor for the

project, and a well-integrated team of individuals

with a variety of expertise and backgrounds. At a

minimum, the steering committee should include

the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer,

Chief Information Officer, human resources executive, and the agency’s procurement executive or their

designees. In addition, where the complexity and

scope of the project is large and covers multiple

program areas, a senior management official with

all-encompassing authority to arbitrate decisions

may be a critical member and the appropriate project

sponsor.

The project manager of the financial system implementation project should keep the steering committee continually apprised of the status of the project.

He/she should have a combination of skills and

experience in project management, financial management, and systems implementation.2

 Equally

important, the project manager should have an

understanding of the processes unique to federal

2

 For a description of core competencies, see Core Competencies for Project

Managers Implementing Financial Systems in the Federal Government,

published in April 2001 by the CFO Council and JFMIP.
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financial systems implementation, such as Standard

General Ledger, year-end closing processes, etc. A

project manager hired from outside the organization

can successfully implement a financial system,

especially in smaller projects where the cost and risk

is relatively certain. Knowledge of the agency’s

mission, function, and business processes can be

gained by assigning a business area representative to

the project team. The odds that the needs of the

organization will be fully met are improved when

the project manager has first-hand knowledge

through previous work experience within the organization.

The project team typically consists of personnel on

loan to the project from various affected groups

throughout the agency—a “matrix” structure. In

addition to the organization’s own personnel, an

array of outside contractors may also be on the

project team. These contractors may be the owners

of a proprietary software package, consultants in the

role of integrators or vendors to perform independent verification and validation. (Typically contractors perform many of the development,

implementation, and training functions. The software vendor and consulting firms may or may not

form a “vendor team.”)

The risk of a project not succeeding increases in

proportion to its size and complexity. Ideally, the

agency will minimize software customization by

selecting the software that best fits the organizational requirements. The size of the project team depends on the scope and complexity of the project.

Factors influencing the size of the team include the

extent of the data conversion, the scope of the

functionality being implemented, and the amount of

customization required for package implementations. The degree of risk and the greater need for

good project management discipline are affected by

the number of commercial contractors with specialized responsibilities that are used.

In addition, based upon the implementation team’s

specific recruiting, hiring, retention, and training

needs, human resources management personnel may

be used to help determine and reach the best path to

achieve desired resources. Functional specialists in

areas such as classification, compensation, performance management, staffing, and training may be

consulted or added as members of the team.

ROLES OF IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

Regardless of the team’s size, the roles needed on the

team are consistent across financial system implementation projects. Table 1 describes them. Many of

the roles require dedication of full-time staff for one

or more of the project’s phases. The number of fulland part-time positions may change throughout the

system’s development life cycle. Flexibility in managing project resources based on changing staffing

needs is critical to the project’s success.
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Table 1. Roles, Reporting Structure, and Responsibilities of Financial System

Implementation Team

Role Responsibility

Project manager

Consult with the steering committee on strategy, objectives, and project issues requiring senior-level

decisions. Ensure that change management strategy addresses required business process changes,

technology changes, and associated personnel changes. Make day-to-day decisions about the project.

Oversee government and contractor personnel assigned to the project to ensure the project stays on

track and within budget.

Systems integrator

Lead the project in planning for the integration of systems into the organization’s environment, which

entails knowledge of the technical infrastructure of the organization, the systems/products to be

implemented, and the business processes to be affected. Can be assigned to in-house staff or to a

contractor.

Information technology

manager

Lead technical staff members in data conversion, interface programming, and report development

(when done in-house by government personnel). Advise the project manager on technology and

infrastructure needs.

IT analysts Code conversion programs, interfaces, and customizations (if not done by contractor).

Functional team leader Lead functional experts providing operational expertise to the implementation effort.

Functional experts

Develop requirements, assist with system configuration decisions, and lead various implementation

tasks such as business process reengineering, cleanup of legacy system data for conversion, verification

and reconciliation of converted data, acceptance testing, and user training.

Financial systems

analysts

Support the development of requirements and systems configuration design. Support implementation

activities such as data conversion, acceptance testing, and training. Play a key role in business process

and workflow analyses associated with the system implementation.

Database administrator Maintain the database architecture of the new system.

Program office personnel Throughout the project life cycle, ensure that the implementation team clearly understands the

organization’s requirements. May be involved in data conversion efforts affecting their organization.

Vendor team leader Work closely with the project manager in managing the project plan, providing advice if he/she sees a

better way to do business.

Vendor team Develop and implement the system. Train the organization’s system users.

Independent verification

and validation

contractor

Provide quality assurance in the overall implementation effort. Review the quality of vendor deliverables

and serve as a key player in acceptance testing of the system.

Critical path

administrator

Assist with administering the project. Monitor and maintain an integrated project plan to ensure that

the implementation is proceeding according to plans and specifications.

Inspector general

representative

Serve in an informational and advisory capacity. Provide advice on internal controls and security issues

to ensure the system meets statutory requirements.

Contracting Officer's

Representative or

Contracting Officer's

Technical Representative

Monitor contract performance, receive contract deliverables, and authorize payment to the contractor.

Procurement/contract

specialist

Serve in an informational capacity, as designated by the Contracting Officer's Representative. Assist with

technical questions about the fulfillment of the contract, contract amendments, and so forth.
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MAJOR COMPETENCIES

The three major competencies required from personnel involved with implementing a financial system

are project management, financial management, and

information technology management. Human

resources and training specialists may be used to

develop strategies to ensure team members have or

obtain identified skills. Some of the specific skills

required within each area are as follows:

zProject management

 Experience with or knowledge of the

system being implemented

 Planning and critical path management

 Acquisition and contracting

 Capability to use a variety of project

management tools

 Effective communication skills

 Measurement of project performance

 Organizational development skills

 Knowledge of financial systems implementation processes

zFinancial management

 Experience in various financial management processes

 Knowledge of internal organizational

needs for financial management data and

existing financial systems

 Knowledge of federal requirements,

including the following:

 Financial management requirements

(OMB circulars, Treasury reporting

requirements)

 System requirements (JFMIP core

financial management system requirements)

 U.S. Standard General Ledger

 Federal accountability standards

zInformation technology management

 Knowledge of the systems development

life cycle

 Familiarity with IT and systems integration processes

 Ability to communicate with IT staff and

functions

 Architecture and capital budgeting

planning

 IT infrastructure standards

 Telecommunications

 IT security.

It is also important for project team members to be

familiar with other areas in addition to their own

area of expertise. For example, financial systems

analysts primarily need to have strong skills in

financial management; however, they also need

some basic systems development experience.
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RECRUITMENT

STRATEGIES

The study team identified and examined strategies

for recruiting project managers, financial system

analysts, system accountants, IT personnel, and

others who implement financial management

systems. Strategies and practices that federal agencies can use are described below.

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGERS

Strategies that can be used to recruit senior personnel are as follows:

z Develop a corporate database of available project

management resources. An inventory skill

bank can be developed and maintained,

identifying individuals with significant

project management experience. The database can also contain information on ongoing and planned agency systems. The

database can serve as a useful tool for organizations seeking project managers and team

members, while identifying new opportunities for project managers who are nearing

completion of their current assignments.

Much of this information may be collected

already; however, the information has not

been organized in a way to facilitate matching project management resources to available projects.

z Identify a cadre of senior project managers and

their teams who have successfully implemented

COTS financial management system software

packages in federal agencies. Information on

senior project managers and their teams who

have successfully installed COTS financial

systems packages at federal agencies will be

maintained on a database. The information

would be updated by the agencies and the

information would be retrieved through the

Internet. The information can only be

accessed through the CFO Financial Systems

Committee (Members Only) website.

z Establish a two-track system. The public sector

can develop new strategies to improve its

ability to compete with the private sector on

pay issues. Instead of limiting itself to a

single track General Schedule system as

currently exists, organizations can use

excepted appointments to establish a second

track of limited term appointments with

market-based pay, bonus options, full benefits, and promotions and pay increases based

on competencies and performance.3

 Employees on the second track can be required

to maintain their project and financial

management competencies. Agencies have

the flexibility in determining how long they

want to make an excepted appointment. Use

of an individual development plan is key to

maintaining competencies.

z Use temporary Senior Executive Service (SES)

or General Management/Schedule (GM/S)

appointments or Experts and Consultants

appointing authority. Term appointments last

at least 1 year but do not exceed 4 years.

Organizations can be flexible about offering

positions based on the duration of a project

or defined by some other event or date.

Depending on the circumstance, this might

appeal to both the agency and employee. In

addition to basic pay, limited term appointment awards can be issued for up to $10,000

per award. There is latitude within the

current experts and consultants appointing

authority for excepted appointments.

z Compensate for superior qualifications. Agencies have budgetary authority to offer a

higher step to candidates with superior

experience or education.

z Use recruitment bonuses, relocation bonuses,

and retention allowances (3Rs). According to

a 1999 study by OPM, use of the 3Rs is

3

 National Academy of Public Administration, Summary Report The

Transforming Power of Information Technology-Making the Federal

Government an Employer of Choice for IT Employees, August 2001. The

market-based pay system would require legislative change.
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highly beneficial in attracting and retaining

good employees:4

 Recruitment bonuses. Agencies can give

new recruits a lump sum payment of up

to 25 percent of his/her base pay. (Before

recruitment visits, the agency must

decide whether to allow this incentive

and, if so, give the recruiter authority to

offer it.)

 Relocation bonuses. Agencies can give

employees up to 25 percent of base pay

as an incentive to relocate to fill a difficult-to-fill position.

 Retention allowances. Agencies can

provide continuous biweekly payments

of up to 10 percent of base pay for a

group or category of employees (up to

25 percent with OPM approval) to retain

highly qualified candidates during the life

of the project.

Since May 1991, 42 departments and agencies have used 3R incentives. Recruitment

bonuses are most prevalent for entry-level

positions, whereas relocation bonuses and

retention allowances are more prevalent at

the GS-9/13 levels.

z Develop relationships to tap new talent pools.

 Work with professional organizations,

educational institutions or certification

programs to tap new talent pools.

 Agencies can recruit former or retired

government personnel with the right mix

of financial management and information technology skills. Many former and

retired military personnel have been

groomed to be project leaders and

possess the necessary skills to manage

resources, provide discipline, and meet

deadlines. Information on retaining

retirement pay and benefits while reemployed by the federal government is on

OPM’s website (http//www.opm.gov).

 Agencies can recruit individuals from the

private sector who want a working

environment that will enable them to

have challenging assignments, while

having a family friendly work environment

z Solicit OPM for an across-the-board special

salary rate for financial management system

staff positions.5

ENTRY- AND JOURNEYMAN-LEVEL

PERSONNEL

Strategies that can be used to recruit entry- and

journeyman-level personnel are as follows:

z Promote public service. Agencies can promote

public service as a good career choice not

only at college campuses but also at the high

school level. Public servants can develop

relationships with high school administrators

who will allow them to participate in career

day activities and have an overall presence at

the schools.

z Establish a formal recruitment plan for entrylevel employees. Agencies can have a welldefined recruitment plan in place well in

advance of any scheduled trips. Building

relationships with school personnel is important to ensure a continuous flow of highquality candidates. The recruitment plan

should include training of recruiters and

establishment of relationships with targeted

educational institutions. In addition, agencies should establish relationships with

recognized certification programs and

professional associations.

 Trained recruiters. Those involved in the

recruitment process should be trained for

the task. OPM offers 1- to 3-day courses

on recruitment orientation. Many other

entities provide similar courses.

4

 Office of Personnel Management, FY 1999 Report of Special Study on the

3Rs, December 1999.

5

 OPM announced a special salary schedule for IT workers, series 334,

grades 5–12, in the federal government. See http://www.opm.gov/hrmc/

2000/msg-088b.htm.
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 Establish relationships with educational

institutions and certification programs.

 Research should be conducted to

ensure that institutions targeted for

recruitment have a curriculum

consistent with the employment

needs (for example, strong accounting or IT departments). Whenever

possible, agencies should use alumni

in senior-level positions as recruiters.

Recruiters should build relationships

with college deans and career services

personnel. These relationships can

provide access to potential hires

before career fairs and similar events.

 To increase the pool of available

resources, agencies can recruit at

schools that have large minority

enrollment, such as schools designated as Minority Serving Institutions

by the Department of Education.

Agencies should review and evaluate

their recruitment plans at specific

intervals to promote continuous

improvement.

z Provide combination packages for entry-level

employees. Agencies can provide a mix of

formal classroom training and developmental rotational assignments:

 Training. Agencies can develop a detailed

training plan for new employees and

make it available before employees’ start

dates. The plan should include four to six

training courses (including innovative

means for training employees, such as

Internet courses) over a 2-year period.

Where possible, agencies should set aside

a certain portion of their payroll/appropriation for continuous professional

development.

 Developmental assignments. Agencies can

develop a detailed plan for developmental rotational assignments.

 Internships. Many organizations use

internships as a mechanism for converting desirable temporary employees into

career personnel. Internships allow the

employer and the employee the opportunity to observe each other and determine

if their needs are compatible. If so, the

intern may be hired noncompetitively

after he/she has met work-hour and

degree requirements.

z Provide ongoing training and developmental

opportunities.

 Develop a detailed training plan specific

to project management over the lifetime

of the project. The plan should be

available prior to the start of the project.

Agencies can utilize innovative means for

training employees (e.g., Internet courses).

 Designate a portion of payroll/appropriated funds for continuous professional

development. Agencies can develop a 1-

or 2-year individual development plan

for the employee.

 Use project managers to mentor and

prepare team members for increased

responsibilities at the next level.

 For all levels, agencies can develop a

detailed plan for developmental rotational assignments. Agencies can work

together to offer employees the flexibility

to move to another organization once

the current project has been completed.

ALL POSITIONS

Strategies that apply to all positions are as follows:

z Establish branding/marketing. Agencies can

establish a brand name for themselves,

affirming the importance of their mission

and the unique work and training experiences it provides to employees.

z Broaden the search. Use alternative advertising

(Internet, radio, cable TV, unpaid media, job

referral services).

z Provide incentives and performance evaluation.

Incentives need to be offered in the context

of performance as well as continuous
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education and training. Agencies should

clearly define expectations and rewards, then

consistently communicate and apply them.

z Provide employee referral bonuses. This allows

current employees to receive bonuses when a

referred employee is hired.

z Simplify the administrative processes. Many

applicants seeking jobs with the federal

government are discouraged by the length of

time between the interview and the formal

job offer. In addition, the administrative

process of completing forms can be burdensome. Many agencies have had noted success

in reengineering the recruitment process to

reduce the time to make offers with one or

more of the following:

 Direct hire authority (from OPM),

which enables recruiters to make firm job

offers after interviewing a candidate

 Online application processing, available

via the Internet

 Use of OPM or other entity as the

Delegated Examining Unit to negotiate a

speedy turnaround on application processing

 Other incentives, such as offering to

repay a potential employee’s student

loans if the individual agrees to work for

that agency for a determined period of

time. For additional information about

incentives available in the federal government, see http://www.opm.gov.

The environment for implementing financial systems

tends to be high pressure, high intensity, and defined

by a limited timeframe (the life of the project). At

the end of a project, many project team members are

often assigned to slower-paced systems maintenance

jobs. This type of work might be welcomed by

many, but it is not always fulfilling for persons who

thrive in an active project environment.

In order to attract team members, who are looking

for an active project environment to the federal work

force, agencies need to plan for “downtime” between projects. For example, because many potential

employees consider continuous training and education to be an integral part of a total career package,

agencies can use downtime as an opportunity to

maintain and/or enhance the individual’s skills. Or, if

another project within the employing agency is not

planned, they can add the person’s name to a separate talent pool to be shared among the corporate

work force. Since experienced project managers are

in such short supply, having an accessible pool of

identified individuals is an advantage to the federal

government.
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RETENTION STRATEGIES

GOVERNMENTWIDE STRATEGIES

The federal government can leverage resources,

influence, and opportunities across all agencies. For

example, it can nurture a cadre of well-qualified

project managers, encouraging them to move from

agency to agency to manage new projects, rather

than staying within a single agency. This strategy

would expand experience and knowledge of project

managers as well as provide promotional opportunities beyond what any single agency can offer.

The CFO Council, through the partnership of its

Human Resources Committee, OPM, and the

Human Resource Management Council, can explore

ways to improve retention of project managers.

Possible alternatives range from something as

straightforward as providing clear criteria and a

standard statement for group retention allowances6

to things as complex as developing a demonstration

project.

Another tool is special salary rates. However, agencies must provide sufficient evidence to justify

special salary rates. An OPM memorandum concerning the special salary rate requested by the CFO

Council states the following:

Under 5 U.S.C. 5305, OPM may establish special salary rates to address

situations in which the Government’s

recruitment or retention efforts are, or

are likely to become, significantly

handicapped. In establishing special

rates, OPM considers staffing data

(e.g., vacancy rates, offer acceptance

rates, quit rates, general labor market

conditions), salary data for similar nonfederal employees, other actions taken

to address staffing problems, the impact of staffing problems on an agency’s mission, and any other relevant

factors.7

AGENCY- AND PROJECT-SPECIFIC

STRATEGIES

OPM has created a number of ways to help agencies

manage the retention of key employees. However,

many agencies have policies or contractual agreements that are more restrictive than those that apply

governmentwide. Agencies must work with their

human resources offices to understand the standard

policies and benefits that are available and to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure that they

retain valued employees. In addition, agencies and

project managers can directly influence five critical

factors relating to retention:

z Assignments and work environment. Agencies

can give employees challenging assignments

and provide the resources and support for

the employees to succeed.

z Development. Agencies can encourage employees to build and maintain their professional competence and currency through

formal courses, work assignments, and other

means.

z Agency support of governmentwide opportunities. In addition to providing opportunities

within its own organization, an agency

should support opportunities available in

other agencies of the federal government.

z Financial incentives. Agencies can reward

accomplishments and consider using incentives such as retention allowances.

z Benefits. Agencies can help employees appreciate the value of the benefits available and

be flexible in supporting employees’ use of

alternative work schedules and other work/

life programs.

6

 Group retention allowances are an option for agencies, with OPM

having to approve requests for allowances that exceed 10 percent of an

employee’s salary.

7

 Office of Personnel Management, Memorandum to personnel directors

concerning special salary rate request by the CFO Council, May 2000.

Available from http://www.opm.gov/oca/
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The following subsections discuss each of these

factors in more detail.

ASSIGNMENTS AND WORK

ENVIRONMENT

Work assignments and the work environment are the

two most important factors influencing turnover.8

To retain valued employees, agencies must give them

challenging work and provide an environment in

which they can succeed.

Agencies and project managers can take a number of

approaches to ensuring that employees are challenged and have a good work environment. The

following are a few examples:

z Develop a formal follow-up program for all

new and key employees. The program

should be ongoing and should include the

use of mentors and other feedback systems.

z Monitor work assignments to ensure that

they match a talented employee’s interests

and abilities.

z Implement flexible work schedules, supportive family-friendly and work/life policies,

and other employee-oriented programs and

practices.

z Empower employees to make their own

work-related decisions whenever possible.

In the end, good management is key. Agencies and

project managers must focus on developing good

relationships between employees and their immediate supervisors. Employees have diverse interests and

needs. Managers who understand this will be able to

recognize and address these interests and needs and

make the employees feel more valued.

DEVELOPMENT

Employees are not likely to remain loyal to an

organization that is perceived to be indifferent about

the welfare of its work force. Therefore, while a

specific agency might risk losing valued employees if

it does not provide opportunities to continually

develop individuals’ skills, development through a

governmentwide program could promote greater

diversity and provide challenging ways to put these

skills to work. This would assist in keeping a highly

motivated and well-trained federal work force in

place.

Agency managers can work with their employees to

design a development program that matches the

competencies needed for the job to the employees’

interests. To the extent that funds are available, an

agency can support formal training, such as courses

and seminars, as well as programs that help employees maintain professional certifications (for example,

continuing professional education credits or professional development units). The agency also can give

employees exposure to their peers in other organizations by sending them to conferences, encouraging

them to make presentations on their work, and

publicizing the interesting work being done. Although an agency may lose some employees because

of networking, they also can attract new employees.

A mentor program can be an effective development

tool. In a mentor program, a more experienced

employee dedicates time to coach, counsel, and

guide a less experienced employee. Counseling and

feedback from a mentor are less threatening and,

typically, more frequent and constructive than they

are from a manager. Giving the employee exposure

to higher level managers in the organization can be

positive as well; such exposure gives the employee a

chance to shine without having intervening filters.

Agencies can encourage employees to participate in

programs that offer structured development and

experience outside the home organization. Such

assignments can allow employees to change the

direction or focus of their work, extend their experience and knowledge base, begin a new area of

creative activity, or learn new techniques.

A number of programs exist, but two are notable:

z CFO Fellows program. Information on the

program is available from http://

www.financenet.gov/financenet/fed/cfo/

fellows/fellows.htm.

z Leadership Development Academy (offered

through the U.S. Department of Agriculture

8

 Jennifer Laabs, “HR101: Benefits,” Workforce Magazine, July 2000.
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Graduate School), which offers 6-month to

1-year career development programs. Information on the programs is available from

http://www.grad.usda.gov/

programs_services/long_term.cfm.

OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE

GOVERNMENT WORK FORCE

Employees look at advancement opportunities

within the organization. If they see few higher level

jobs in the organization, see little chance of such

jobs coming open, or see that such jobs are being

filled by external candidates, they are likely to look

elsewhere for opportunities. Agencies can implement a number of strategies—career ladders, competitive promotions, growth of responsibility, and

alternative experiences (job rotations), to name a

few—that will increase the likelihood that employees

will stay.

Agencies should give their employees information

about available opportunities and clear guidance on

the advancement process. That guidance should

include information about the competencies that an

employee must have to be considered a competitive

candidate. Agencies also should give the employees a

chance to develop and demonstrate competencies.

Governmentwide rotations should be developed. Job

rotation provides employees an opportunity to

develop or refine skills. It also provides employees

with a broader perspective of the overall mission of

the agency through a better understanding of programs, functions, and activities. Job rotations

provide management an opportunity to assess an

employee in a new role, to determine his/her skills

and abilities to develop in that role, and to provide

for better use of resources as well as enhancing

program development. Job rotations may be interor intra-branch or divisional. Whenever possible, job

rotations should be open to all eligible employees;

sometimes, however, specific program/division

experience will be a prerequisite or the assignment

may be a part of an individual’s development plan.

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

Although money is not the primary consideration in

every employee’s retention decision, financial incentives can be very effective in the right circumstances.

In general, managers have two types of financial

incentives available: performance-based awards (e.g.,

special achievement awards and temporary grade

increases) and allowances (e.g., repayment of student loans) to induce employees to remain

onboard.9

Ideally, an employee should be compensated at a

level commensurate with the project responsibilities.

A temporary grade increase, if applicable, needs to

be contingent on defined responsibilities and meeting project milestones. Additional performancebased awards should be related to clear and well

understood achievements, such as providing excellent customer service and completing projects ahead

of schedule and under budget.

Non-performance-driven incentives are useful

because they allow for a contract between the agency

and the employee. (For example, the agency agrees

to repay a student loan, and the employee agrees to

remain onboard for at least 3 years.) Non-performance-driven incentives need to be matched to the

agency’s budget, the agency’s objectives, and the

desires and needs of the employee.

BENEFITS

Employees need to understand the full range and

value of available benefits so that they can factor

them into an economic calculation of any nonfederal employment opportunities. Federal employee

benefits include both conventional programs—

health insurance, term life insurance, retirement, and

Thrift Savings Plan, to name a few—and newer

programs such as transit subsidies and pretax health

premiums. The federal government’s annual leave is

particularly generous; new full-time employees earn

4 hours every 2 weeks. Advanced annual leave, sick

leave, and other leave provisions are also important.

In addition to the standard governmentwide benefits, agencies can offer a number of work/life benefits, such as alternative work schedules and

telecommuting.10

9

 For a detailed description of various financial incentives available in the

federal government, see http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/html/q&arrr.htm.

10 For more information on work/life benefits, see http://www.opm.gov/

wrkfam/index.html-ssi and http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.htm.
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TRAINING STRATEGIES

As discussed earlier, the nature of project management is intensely focused work with a limited

duration. Overtime during a project’s implementation is the norm, as highly dedicated team members

seek to meet short-term deadlines to keep the project

on its long-term track. The hectic pace required by

this environment is exhilarating for those who

choose it for life’s work, but at some point people

have to stop and decompress. This study recognizes

that the period of time between projects is a natural

break in this regard, and suggests that it be used for

a period of “retooling” at a slower pace. Through

this approach, the project team is able to take this

interval—which might otherwise be used to search

for another project— either to share his experiences

with others as a mentor or to enroll in class work to

enhance his/her state of the art. If administered on a

governmentwide basis, such a program would help

to ensure that some portion of a highly qualified

pool of project managers and team members would

always be on standby for future projects.

Training is characterized as a human capital investment. It is either an integral part of a specific project

budget or an item that reflects the long-term nature

of human development. Agencies should set aside a

certain portion of the organization’s budget and the

financial systems implementation project’s budget

for training. Training is discussed below on two

separate levels: the agency level where training is

provided for project steering committees, and the

individual level where it is given or received within a

project management pool.

EXECUTIVE LEVEL—PROJECT

SPONSOR AND STEERING COMMITTEE

Top-level support within an agency is imperative for

the successful implementation of a financial system.

Training at the top level of an agency to gain this

support serves several purposes. First, it informs

senior executives of the scope and urgency of the

global problem; second, it provides a forum to share

common concerns; and third, it provides an opportunity for recognized scholars in the field of project

management to appear before senior executives and

inform them of their key role in the success of their

respective projects.

PROJECT MANAGER LEVEL

Systematic learning opportunities and career growth

path options for project management personnel

across the federal government are a means of maintaining professional skills at a high level, while

addressing one of the greatest concerns of members

of a team nearing the end of a project—finding the

next job. This time between projects provides an

opportunity for employees to decompress from the

intense nature of the work and to sharpen project

management skills through education and training.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MENTORING

During transition periods, project management

personnel at senior skill levels within the federal

work force can serve as mentors/instructors for midor entry-level personnel. Also, senior-level people

can collectively provide advice and support, as

needed, to agencies implementing new financial

systems. This provides a thoughtful means to retain

and enhance the project management knowledge

base in a changing environment and ensures that it is

being applied consistently across the federal work

force.

FORMAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

External education and training complements

internal training and mentoring by encouraging the

development of recognized certification paths and

maintenance of current certification levels through

formal education. Courses may be sought as a means

to improve specific skills needed on the job. Organizations should examine “hot skills” to develop a

strategy and identify technical skills that should be

contracted out and those that should be provided by

staff.

Courses in the general field of project management

are available from many training providers. The

Project Management Institute11 and the National

11 Project Management Institute, http://www.pmi.org.
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Defense University12 offer excellent project management courses.

A project management course with a financial systems orientation can be designed to meet the

specific needs of an implementation team.

z Members from a project team can attend

project management technology courses

either sequentially or together. A curriculum

containing a high concentration of project

management technology courses that only

lasts 3 or 4 days allows team members to

attend with minimal disruption to the

workflow.

The STAR Program is a major initiative of the

federal Chief Information Officers Council and the

General Services Administration. The STAR Program is designed to give government executives the

skills necessary to face the challenges of today’s

management environment where agency finance,

business, and information technology people need to

be comfortable operating together—strategically and

tactically. STAR emphasizes Clinger-Cohen13 resultsbased management as well as information technology as a strategic resource. STAR partners with some

of the most highly acclaimed institutions in the

country to develop and deliver its curriculum. The

STAR Program consists of two 1-week residential

seminar sessions (separated by 2 to 4 weeks) focused

on program and project management, leadership,

security, technology, and government. It involves

pre-work and a practicum, which spans the STAR

experience with results demonstrated to the participant’s sponsoring executive. The STAR Program is

opened to candidates from all agency disciplines:

finance, information technology, procurement, and

agency program functions. Each candidate must be

sponsored by an agency executive and hold a Senior

Executive Service, GS/M 15, GS/M 14, or field GS/

M 13 position, or be of comparable military rank.14

Courses on project management are also listed on

the Federal Learning Exchange, developed by the

U.S. Department of Labor. This can be accessed at

http://www.flx.gov.

OJT PROGRAM

Individuals should receive on-the-job training (OJT)

that allows them to participate as a member of a

financial system implementation team. This participation will provide invaluable knowledge and

training that are essential for project management.

For instance, individuals may learn how to interact

with others on a project team and observe how

senior project manager and team leaders operate to

meet project goals and produce deliverables within

tight timeframes.

Participation on inter-disciplinary project teams will

also be helpful to gain knowledge of the agency’s

mission. Agencies should also have OJT program

that rotates individuals through the various business

functions of the agency to gain the day-to-day

operational view of the agency’s mission.

OTHER STRATEGIES

Other strategies are as follows:

z Share the experience of financial systems implementation. Post an account of your implementation on the JFMIP web page on

Roadmap to Successful Agency Implementation of Financial Systems (www.jfmip.gov)

and articles in financial periodicals.

z Share best practices and lessons learned. Communicate success stories at interagency

meetings, such as CFO Council Committee,

Federal Financial Managers Council, and

workshops sponsored by JFMIP, Treasury

Financial Management Service, and professional organizations, such as the Association

of Government Accountants, American

Society of Military Comptrollers, and others.

12 National Defense University, http://www.ndu.edu/irmc/.

13 Clinger-Cohen refers to the Information Technology Management

Reform Act of 1996.

14 STAR at star.program@gsa.gov or call the IT Professional Development Division of the General Services Administration at (202) 501-

0819.
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z Establish a project management advisory

committee. A committee of project managers

with experience in financial systems implementations can be established to provide

advice and support, as needed, to agencies

implementing new financial systems. The

Information Technology Review Board,

which examines projects in trouble, can serve

as a model. The project management advisory committee can act as a preventive measure.

NEXT STEPS

Having qualified project managers and personnel is

needed to implement better financial management

COTS systems. The federal government must act

now to dedicate resources for holding a workforce

capable of implementing Financial Management.

z Identify current administration’s officials to

discuss project management human resources issue that will meet the e-government and

other management reform goals.

z The CFO Council and OMB should make

this a priority by dedicating budgetary

resources to recruit, retain, and train personnel in this area.

z Success stories should be communicated

throughout the financial community through

the Internet, newsletters, and publications in

professional associations.

z Partner with organizations to implement the

recommendations.

Some of the recommendations made in this

report can be done in conjunction with other

CFO Council efforts that are already underway,

such as the recruitment of entry-level personnel

for financial system implementation projects. An

agency may want to partner with a private-sector

contractor to develop a 3 or 4-day training

course on financial system project management.

Work with NAPA and the CIO Council on the

establishment of the two-track system for project

managers and project management staff. Also

partner with OPM to communicate what tools

are available.

z Federal agencies need to ensure that their

personnel have on-the-job training or experience to successfully implement a financial

system.

z Establish a mentoring or training development program. This may be a project for the

CFO Fellows or an interagency group of

individuals from the CFO Council’s Financial Systems Committee and Human Resources Committee.

Significant level of turnover of key project personnel

(numbers of individuals or frequency) is detrimental

to the successful completion of a project. The

following suggestions may alleviate this problem:

z Offer competitive benefits packages.

z Reward employees for their contributions,

not their longevity.

z Have a system for identifying talented

employees and recognizing their contributions.

z Embed ongoing training, education, and

mentoring programs in the organizational

culture.15

15 Society for Human Resource Management, HR Magazine, December

1998. Available from http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/

1298grossmanb.htm.
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APPENDIX A. WEBSITES

Information about the wide variety of federal government recruitment and

retention tools is available from the following sites:

z http://www.opm.gov/studies/main.htm#3rs (“The Three Rs:

Lessons Learned from Recruitment, Retention, and Relocation

Incentives”)

z http://www.opm.gov/demos/HR_flex.txt (“Human Resource

Flexibilities and Authorities in the Federal Government”)

z http://www.opm.gov/demos (Center for Human Resources Innovation for human resources demonstration projects and other human

resources management innovations)

z http://www.opm.gov/iag/public/(“Recruiting and Retaining Financial Management Employees: Useful Tools”)

z http://www.workforce.com (articles on recruiting and retention;

emphasis is on private industry, but much of the information is

directly relevant and useful in the federal setting)

z http://careers.computerworld.com/res/careers/rete_index.html

(articles focusing on the retention of IT employees).
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 APPENDIX B. CONTRIBUTORS

The following people contributed to this document:

Doris Chew, Joint Financial Management Improvement Program

(Project Leader)

Dan Addess, Logistics Management Institute

Patricia Clark-Duncan, Department of Labor

Joanne Dant, Overseas Private Investment Corporation

William Foster, Department of Education, Executive Potential Program (EPP)

Mary Hartman, Office of Personnel Management, EPP

Mark Holdrege, Department of Commerce, Census Bureau

Veronica Jett, Department of Defense, Executive Leadership Program (ELP)

Nilda A. Lauterbach, Department of State, ELP

Janet White Laytham, Department of Labor

Alice Sabatini, CFO Fellow, Environmental Protection Agency

Susan Smith, Logistics Management Institute

Deborah Staton-Wright, Department of Labor

Monica Taylor, Department of the Interior

Jerry Williams, Office of Management and Budget

This document was developed under the auspices of the CFO Council Financial

Systems Committee and Human Resources Committee and JFMIP:

R. Schuyler Lesher, Deputy CFO, Department of the Interior, and Chair, CFO Council

Financial Systems Committee

Kathleen M. McGettigan, CFO, Office of Personnel Management and Acting Chair,

CFO Council Human Resources Committee

Kenneth M. Bresnahan, former CFO, Department of Labor, and former Chair, CFO

Council Human Resources Committee

 Karen Cleary Alderman, Executive Director, JFMIP
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