HUMAN CAPITAL 

MANAGEMENT

Effectively Implementing 

Reforms and Closing 

Critical Skills Gaps Are Key 

to Addressing Federal 

Workforce Challenges 

Statement of Gene L. Dodaro

Comptroller General of the United States

Testimony

Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of 

Government Management, the Federal 

Workforce, and the District of Columbia, 

Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

For Release on Delivery 

Expected at 2:30p.m. EDT

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

GAO-12-1023T

United States Government Accountability Office

GAO
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-12-1023T, a testimony 

before the Subcommittee on Oversight of 

Government Management, the Federal 

Workforce and the District of Columbia, 

Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate 

September 19, 2012 

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Effectively Implementing Reforms and Closing 

Critical Skills Gaps Are Key to Addressing Federal 

Workforce Challenges

Why GAO Did This Study

GAO designated strategic human 

capital management as a governmentwide high risk area in 2001 because of 

a long-standing lack of leadership. 

Since then, important progress has 

been made. However, the area 

remains high risk because of a need to 

address current and emerging critical 

skills gaps that undermine agencies’ 

abilities to meet their vital missions.

The federal government is facing 

evolving and crosscutting challenges 

that require a range of skills and 

competencies to address. Moreover, 

retirements and the potential loss of 

leadership and institutional knowledge, 

coupled with fiscal pressures, 

underscore the importance of a 

strategic and efficient approach to 

acquiring and retaining individuals with 

needed critical skills.

This testimony is based on a large 

body of GAO work from January 2001 

through September 2012 and focuses 

on the progress made by executive 

branch agencies, the CHCO Council, 

and OPM, and the challenges that 

remain in four key areas of human 

capital management: (1) leadership; 

(2) strategic human capital planning; 

(3) talent management; and (4) resultsoriented organizational culture.

What GAO Recommends

Over the years, GAO has made 

numerous recommendations to 

agencies and OPM to improve their 

strategic human capital management 

efforts. This testimony discusses 

agencies’ actions to implement key 

recommendations. 

What GAO Found

Since 2001, Congress, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and 

executive branch agencies have taken action to address the government’s 

human capital challenges. For example, in 2002, Congress passed legislation 

creating the CHCO Council, composed of the Chief Human Capital Officers 

(CHCO) of 24 executive agencies and chaired by the Director of OPM. In 2004, 

through the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act, Congress provided agencies

greater hiring flexibilities. OPM issued guidance on hiring reforms, developed the

Hiring Toolkit, and launched an 80-day model to speed the hiring process.

Leadership:

The CHCO Council advises and coordinates the activities of member agencies 

on current and emerging personnel issues. Among its recent initiatives, OPM and 

the CHCO Council established a working group in September 2011 to identify 

and mitigate critical skills gaps. To date the group has taken important steps, 

including developing a framework and timeline for identifying and addressing 

government-wide and agency-specific skills gaps. However, the substantive work 

of addressing skills gaps remains, including defining workforce plans, 

implementing recruitment and retention strategies, and measuring the effects of 

these initiatives.

Strategic human capital planning:

Integrating human capital planning with broader organizational strategic planning 

is essential for ensuring that agencies have the talent and skill mix needed to 

cost-effectively execute their mission and program goals. If not carefully 

managed, anticipated retirements could cause skills gaps to develop further and 

adversely impact the ability of agencies to carry out their diverse responsibilities. 

GAO’s work has identified skills shortages in areas government-wide, such as 

cybersecurity, acquisition management, and foreign language capabilities.

Talent management:

Ensuring that federal agencies are able to recruit, develop, and retain personnel 

with the necessary skills is essential to closing any skills gaps and maintaining a 

workforce that will meet its vital missions. Congress, OPM, and some individual 

agencies have taken important actions, such as providing and using flexibilities, 

to improve the hiring process and making investments in training and 

development. However, much work remains. For example, GAO recently 

reported that OPM can improve its guidance and assistance to agencies in 

establishing a process for setting and prioritizing training investments.

Results-oriented organizational culture:

Leading organizations have found that to successfully transform themselves they 

must often fundamentally change their cultures to be more results-oriented, 

customer-focused, and collaborative. As part of that, GAO has shown that 

agencies need to create clear “lines of sight” that align organizational and 

individual performance. These lines of sight help individual staff understand the 

connection between their daily activities and agency success. View GAO-12-1023T. For more information, 

contact Robert N. Goldenkoff at (202) 512-

6806 or goldenkoffr@gao.gov or Yvonne D. 

Jones at (202) 512-6806 or jonesy@gao.gov. 
Page 1 GAO-12-1023T 

United States Government Accountability Office 

Washington, DC 20548

Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Johnson, and Members of the 

Subcommittee,

Thank you for the opportunity to be here this afternoon to discuss the 

state of the federal workforce. My remarks today will focus on the 

progress made in modernizing federal human capital policies and 

procedures since 2001, the year in which we first added strategic human 

capital management to our list of high risk areas because of the longstanding lack of leadership on personnel matters.1

Mr. Chairman, today’s session is a fitting venue to discuss the progress of

civil service reforms because so many of the improvements in the federal 

government’s human capital policies and practices came about as a 

result of the bipartisan leadership and vision of this Subcommittee 

including legislation, hearings, constructive oversight, requests for our 

research, and efforts to hold agencies accountable for results.

Congress, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and individual 

agencies have all made substantial progress in addressing their human 

capital challenges. For example, Congress, in 2002, created the chief 

human capital officer (CHCO) position in 24 agencies to advise and assist 

the head of the agency and other agency officials in their strategic human 

capital efforts.2

It is important that the government have a top-notch workforce. 

Addressing challenges in areas such as disaster response, homeland 

The CHCO Council—chaired by the OPM Director—

advises and coordinates the activities of members’ agencies, OPM, and 

the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on such matters as 

modernizing human resources systems and improving the quality of 

human resources information. Further, in 2002 and 2004, Congress 

provided agencies—individually and across the federal government—with 

additional authorities and flexibilities to manage the federal workforce 

such as the authority to offer recruitment bonuses. More recently, 

Congress enacted the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, which is 

intended to provide opportunities for more federal employees to telework.

 

1

GAO, High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-01-263 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 2001).

2

Chief Human Capital Officers Act of 2002, Title XIII of the Homeland Security Act of 

2002. Pub. L. No. 107-296 (Nov. 25, 2002). 

 
 

Page 2 GAO-12-1023T 

security, economic security, and many other evolving issues requires 

networks of actors across many organizations employing a wide range of 

expertise and skills. For federal agencies to be effective in this 

environment, they must have the capacity to work seamlessly with other 

agencies, levels of government, and across sectors.

While the government has taken on additional roles and responsibilities in 

recent years, the size of the federal workforce has changed little since 

1981. While there have been some fluctuations, overall the number of 

federal employees has remained relatively steady at around 2 million 

people, with 2.2 million civilian, non-postal employees in 2011. That said, 

the federal workforce is supported by a large number of contract 

employees who also need to have the right set of skills. Although the 

exact size of the contractor workforce is difficult to measure, at some 

agencies it is significant and can far exceed the number of federal 

personnel. For example, as we pointed out in our April 2012 report, the 

National Nuclear Security Administration—a component of the 

Department of Energy responsible for ensuring the safety and security of 

the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile—is composed of about 34,000 

contractors and 2,400 federal employees.3

These evolving and complex challenges are occurring while agencies 

confront an array of internal management capacity difficulties, such as 

critical skills shortages, ongoing retirements that could lead to a further 

loss of institutional knowledge, as well as fiscal pressures.4

The challenges confronting government demand that federal agencies 

follow high-performing organizations’ human capital management 

practices including recruiting and retaining employees able to create, 

sustain, and thrive in organizations that are flatter, results-oriented, and 

externally focused; and collaborate with other entities across levels of 

government and with the private and non-profit sectors.

As a result, it 

is vital that agencies operate more strategically and efficiently than ever 

before.

 

3

GAO, Modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise: Strategies and Challenges in 

Sustaining Critical Skills in Federal and Contractor Workforces GAO-12-468 (Washington, 

D.C.: April 26, 2012).

4

For more on the management capacity issues confronting agencies, see GAO-11-278. 
 

Page 3 GAO-12-1023T 

As requested, my remarks today will focus on executive branch agencies’ 

and OPM’s progress in addressing key aspects of strategic human capital 

management including: (1) leadership commitment; (2) strategic human 

capital planning; (3) talent management; and (4) building a resultsoriented culture. This testimony is based on a large body of our 

completed work issued from January 2001 through September 2012, and 

also includes the preliminary results of an ongoing study that you 

requested on addressing critical skills gaps. The work on which this 

statement is based was conducted in accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan 

and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide 

a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit 

objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable 

basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Effective leadership is the key driver of successful human capital 

management. Simply put, the tone starts from the top. As one example, in 

September 2011, OPM and the CHCO Council, as part of ongoing 

discussions between OPM, OMB, and us on progress needed to address 

the federal government’s human capital high risk area, established a 

working group to identify and mitigate critical skills gaps. At the request of 

this Subcommittee, we are reviewing the progress of the working group.

Our preliminary findings show that the working group has, to date, taken 

some important steps forward, including developing a framework and 

timeline for identifying and addressing both government-wide and 

agency-specific skills gaps.

Importantly, the effort is receiving the commitment and support of agency 

leadership. For example, agencies’ chief human capital officers and their 

representatives were involved in forming the working group and 

participated in its deliberations. Further, the working group’s efforts were

designated a cross-agency priority goal within the Administration’s fiscal 

year 2013 federal budget.5

 

5

GAO, Managing for Results: GAO’s Work Related to the Interim Crosscutting Priority 

Goals under the GPRA Modernization Act, 

The working group expects to complete its 

initial efforts in March 2013. We will continue to assess the working 

group’s progress and anticipate issuing a report to you later this year.

GAO-12-620R (Washington, D.C.: 

May 31, 2012).

Sustained Leadership 

is Essential to 

Successful Human 

Capital Management
 

Page 4 GAO-12-1023T 

In addition, OPM has demonstrated leadership in its efforts to improve the 

hiring process, with an eye toward making it easier and faster for people 

to apply for a federal job and strengthen the ability of agencies to 

compete with the private sector for filling entry-level positions. For 

example, OPM issued final regulations implementing the Pathways 

Programs (Pathways) which took effect on July 10, 2012.6

Still, work is needed in other human capital areas. For example, as we 

noted in our February 2012 testimony before this Subcommittee, OPM 

needs to improve the paper-intensive processes and antiquated 

information systems it uses to support the retirement of civilian federal 

employees in part because of the volume of retirement processing 

expected in the coming years given projected retirement trends.

Pathways 

created two new conduits into government service: the Internship 

Program for students currently in high school, college, and other 

qualifying programs, and the Recent Graduates Program for individuals 

who, within the previous two years, earned an associate, bachelors, 

masters, professional or other qualifying degree or certificate. Pathways 

also modified the existing Presidential Management Fellows Program 

making it more student friendly by, among other changes, expanding the 

eligibility window for applicants. Individuals in all three programs are 

eligible for noncompetitive conversion to permanent positions after 

meeting certain requirements. If successfully implemented, initiatives 

such as the CHCO working group and Pathways could help agencies 

identify and close critical skills gaps.

7

Strategic human capital planning that is integrated with broader 

organizational strategic planning is essential for ensuring that agencies 

have the talent, skill, and experience mix they need to cost-effectively 

execute their mission and program goals. Workforce planning is 

especially important now because, as shown in figure 1, agencies are 

facing a wave of potential retirements. Government-wide, around 30 

 

6

77 Fed. Reg. 28194 (May 11, 2012). The Pathways Programs were established by the 

President under Exec. Order No. 13562, Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent 

Graduates, 75 Fed. Reg. 82585 (Dec. 27, 2010). Under the executive order, OPM was 

tasked with issuing implementing regulations.

7

GAO, OPM Retirement Modernization: Progress Has Been Hindered by Longstanding 

Information Technology Management Weaknesses, GAO-12-430T (Washington, D.C.: 

Feb. 1, 2012).

Strategic Human 

Capital Planning is 

Critical to Addressing 

Workforce Challenges
 

Page 5 GAO-12-1023T 

percent of federal employees on board at the end of fiscal year 2011 will 

become eligible to retire by 2016.8

Although a number of factors affect when employees actually retire, a 

2008 OPM study found that the median number of years an employee 

stays with the government after first becoming retirement-eligible is four 

years, although nearly 25 percent remain for nine years or more.

At some agencies, however, such as 

the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Small 

Business Administration, at least 40 percent of those on board at the end 

of fiscal year 2011 are already eligible or will become eligible to retire in 

the next five years. The government’s top leadership and management 

ranks also face potentially high levels of retirement. About 58 percent of 

senior executives and 45 percent of GS-15s who were on board at the 

end of fiscal year 2011 will be eligible to retire by 2016. Likewise, certain 

occupations face the potential of large numbers of retirements. Around 46 

percent of air traffic controllers and 68 percent of administrative law 

judges will be eligible to retire by 2016.

9 Thus, if 

not carefully monitored and managed, as experienced employees leave, 

gaps could develop in an organization’s leadership and institutional 

knowledge.

 

8

We report on federal retirement eligibility using data from OPM’s Central Personnel Data 

File (CPDF). To assess the reliability of CPDF data, we reviewed relevant OPM 

documentation, previous GAO reports using CPDF data, and recent OPM data quality 

assurance procedures. We previously reported that government-wide data from the 

CPDF for the key variables in this report to determine retirement eligibility—retirement 

plan, service computation date, birth date, and occupation—were 98 percent or more 

accurate. Based on the results of these procedures, we believe the CPDF data used are 

sufficiently reliable for the informational purpose of this report. 

9

OPM, An Analysis of Federal Employee Retirement Data: Predicting Future Retirements 

and Examining Factors Relevant to Retiring from the Federal Service (Washington, D.C.: 

March, 2008).
 

Page 6 GAO-12-1023T 

Figure 1: Agencies are Facing a Retirement Wave

Strategic human capital planning will also be needed to address current 

and emerging mission critical skills shortages that exist both governmentwide across specific occupations and competencies and within particular 

agencies. Our work has shown that it is important for agencies to ensure 

that their strategic workforce planning efforts (1) involve top management, 

employees, and other stakeholders; (2) identify the critical skills and 

competencies that will be needed to achieve current and future 

programmatic results; (3) develop strategies that are tailored to address 

skills gaps; (4) build the internal capability needed to address 

administrative, training, and other requirements important to support 
 

Page 7 GAO-12-1023T 

workforce planning strategies; and (5) include plans to monitor and 

evaluate the agency’s progress toward meeting its human capital goals.10

Our work has identified issues in such government-wide areas as:

Cybersecurity: In our November 2011 report, we found that even as 

threats to federal IT infrastructure and systems continue to grow in 

number and sophistication, federal agencies’ progress in implementing 

key workforce planning practices for cybersecurity personnel has been 

mixed.11

Acquisition Management: Agencies such as DOD and the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) need to address shortages of trained 

acquisition personnel to oversee and manage contracts that have 

become more expensive and increasingly complex. The lack of skilled 

employees in this area makes the government vulnerable to overcharges 

and wasteful spending of the hundreds of billions of contract dollars it 

spends for goods and services each year. In our prior work, for example, 

we found that DOD lacked critical information to ensure its acquisition 

workforce was sufficient to meet its national security mission.

For example, five of the eight agencies we reviewed, including 

the largest, DOD, have established cybersecurity workforce plans or other 

agency-wide activities addressing cybersecurity workforce planning.

However, all of the agencies we reviewed faced challenges determining 

the size of their cybersecurity workforce because of variations in how 

work is defined and the lack of an occupational series specific to 

cybersecurity. We recommended, among other actions, that OPM should 

finalize and issue guidance to agencies on how to track the use and 

effectiveness of incentives for cybersecurity and other hard-to-fill 

positions. OPM agreed with this recommendation and identified steps it is 

taking to address federal agencies’ use of incentives.

12

 

10GAO, Human Capital: Key Principles for Effective Workforce Planning, 

To 

address these issues, we recommended in 2009 that DOD, among other 

actions, identify and update, on an ongoing basis, the number and skill 

GAO-04-39 

(Washington, D.C.: Dec. 11, 2003).

11GAO, Cybersecurity Human Capital: Initiatives Need Better Planning and Coordination, 

GAO-12-8 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 29, 2011).

12GAO, Department of Defense: Additional Actions and Data Are Needed to Effectively 

Manage and Oversee DOD’s Acquisition Workforce, GAO-09-342 (Washington, D.C.:

March 25, 2009).
 

Page 8 GAO-12-1023T 

sets of the total acquisition workforce, including civilian, military, and 

contractor personnel that it needs to fulfill its mission. DOD agreed with 

our recommendation and has policies in place that call for the department 

to assess its total workforce, including its contractor component.

However, DOD has not yet determined the appropriate mix of federal 

civilian, military, and contractor personnel. We have ongoing work to 

assess DOD’s civilian and acquisition workforce planning efforts.

Likewise, in 2008, we recommended DHS take several actions to better 

manage its acquisition workforce challenges, such as establishing a 

coordinated planning process across DHS component agencies and 

improving workforce data.

13

Foreign Language Capabilities: As we noted in our July 2010 testimony 

before this Subcommittee, DHS, DOD, and the Department of State 

(State) could better assess their foreign language needs and capabilities 

and address shortfalls.

DHS generally agreed with our 

recommendations and has taken steps to more effectively manage and 

strategically plan for its acquisition workforce, including establishing a 

strategic human capital planning initiative to improve coordination 

between the Chief Procurement Officer, DHS components, the Chief 

Human Capital Officer, and other stakeholders to develop a Fiscal Year 

2013 Acquisition Workforce Strategic Human Capital Plan. DHS has 

begun collecting and tracking data on the department’s acquisition 

workforce but not yet on the department’s use of contractors for 

acquisition support.

14

 

13GAO, Department of Homeland Security: A Strategic Approach Is Needed to Better 

Ensure the Acquisition Workforce Can Meet Mission Needs, 

In particular, we said that foreign language skills 

are an increasingly key element to the success of diplomatic efforts; 

military, counterterrorism, law enforcement, and intelligence missions; as 

well as to access to federal programs and services for limited English 

populations. We found that the agencies we reviewed could improve their 

human capital planning efforts. For example, State’s efforts to meet its 

foreign language requirements have yielded some results, but it has not 

closed persistent gaps in foreign-language proficient staff in part because 

it was not using a strategic approach. We recommended that State 

GAO-09-30 (Washington, 

D.C.: Nov. 19, 2008).

14GAO, Foreign Language Capabilities: Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and 

State Could Better Assess Their Foreign Language Needs and Capabilities and Address 

Shortfalls, GAO-10-715T (Washington, D.C.: July 29, 2010). 
 

Page 9 GAO-12-1023T 

develop a comprehensive strategic plan with measurable goals, 

objectives, milestones, and feedback mechanics that links all of State’s 

efforts to meet its foreign language requirements. State generally agreed 

with our recommendations and in response, in March 2011, it published a 

strategic plan for foreign language capabilities that links its language 

incentive program to its efforts to enhance its recruitment program and 

expand training, among other activities.

Our prior work has also identified human capital planning issues at 

individual agencies. For example, the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) continues to face historical workforce planning and 

training challenges that need to be addressed. In our April 2012, 

assessment which we prepared for this Subcommittee and other 

requesters, we reported that FEMA is in the early stages of integrating its 

workforce planning and training efforts with initiatives underway by other 

FEMA program offices.15 These efforts could help FEMA ensure that it 

has a workforce of the proper size and skills to meet its mission.

However, we also noted that FEMA’s workforce planning and training 

efforts could benefit from quantifiable performance measures, such as 

metrics to gauge the agency’s progress building a comprehensive 

leadership development program and integrating it with agency 

succession planning. FEMA’s parent agency, DHS, concurred with our 

recommendations and is taking steps to implement them.16

In another example, in our July 2012 report, we found that the 

Department of the Interior continues to face workforce planning 

challenges following a reorganization effort to improve its oversight of oil 

and gas activities in the wake of the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of 

Mexico. In particular, we found that Interior has not developed a strategic 

workforce plan that outlines specific strategies to help it address the 

recruitment, retention, and training challenges it is facing, particularly for 

For example, 

FEMA’s Strategic Human Capital Plan for fiscal years 2012 through 2016 

will have milestones and metrics for addressing key workforce planning 

efforts.

 

15GAO, Federal Emergency Management Agency: Workforce Planning and Training 

Could Be Enhanced by Incorporating Strategic Management Principles, GAO-12-487 

(Washington, D.C.: April 26, 2012). 

16GAO-12-487. 
 

Page 10 GAO-12-1023T 

engineers and inspectors.17 Interior has also not specifically determined 

when it will develop such a plan. To address this, we recommended that 

the relevant components of Interior develop a strategic workforce plan 

that, among other actions, determines the critical skills and competencies 

that will be needed to achieve current and future programmatic results 

and to develop strategies to address critical skills gaps. Interior agreed 

with this recommendation.

Progress in talent management has been made on a number of fronts.

However, our work had identified additional actions federal agencies can 

take to recruit, develop, and retain personnel with the skills essential to 

maintaining a workforce that will help agencies meet their vital missions.

More than a decade ago, it was widely recognized that the federal hiring 

process was lengthy and cumbersome and hampered agencies’ ability to 

hire the people they needed to achieve their goals and missions. The 

processes of that time failed to meet the needs of managers in filling 

positions with the right talent and also failed to meet the needs of 

applicants for a timely, efficient, transparent, and merit-based process.

The processes were also hampered by narrow federal classification 

standards for defining federal occupations, the quality of certain applicant 

assessment tools, and time-consuming processes to evaluate applicants.

Both Congress and OPM have taken a series of important actions over 

the years to improve recruiting and hiring in the federal sector. For 

example, in 2004 Congress provided agencies with hiring flexibilities that 

(1) permit agencies to appoint individuals to positions through a 

streamlined hiring process where there is a severe shortage of qualified 

candidates or a critical hiring need, and (2) allow agency managers more 

latitude in selecting among qualified candidates through category rating, 

an alternative to the traditional numerical rating procedure which limited 

selection to the top three ranked candidates. In addition, Congress 

provided agencies with enhanced authority to pay recruitment bonuses 

 

17GAO, Oil and Gas Management: Interior’s Reorganization Complete, but Challenges 

Remain in Implementing New Requirements, GAO-12-423 (Washington, D.C.: July 30, 

2012).

Talent Management 

Remains a Federal 

Workforce Challenge

Hiring Reforms
 

Page 11 GAO-12-1023T 

and with the authority to credit relevant private sector experience when 

computing annual leave amounts.18

In 2005, and again in 2008, OPM issued guidance on the use of hiring 

authorities and flexibilities, in 2006 developed the Hiring Toolkit to assist 

agency officials in determining the appropriate hiring flexibilities to use 

given their specific situations, and in 2008 launched an 80-day hiring 

model to help speed up the hiring process. Also in 2008, OPM 

established standardized vacancy announcement templates for common 

occupations, such as contract specialist and accounting technician 

positions, in which agencies can insert summary information concerning 

their specific jobs prior to posting for public announcement. As mentioned 

earlier, in 2010, OPM launched the Pathways program in order to make it 

easier to recruit and hire students and recent graduates.

Individual agencies have also taken actions to meet their specific needs 

for acquiring the necessary talent. For example, we have reported that 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has used a 

combination of techniques to recruit workers with critical skills, including 

targeted recruitment activities, educational outreach programs, improved 

compensation and benefits packages, professional development 

programs, and streamlined hiring authorities.19 Despite these efforts, 

many challenges remain with federal recruiting and hiring, as noted 

earlier in discussing critical skills gaps.

Effective training and development programs are an integral part of a 

learning environment that can enhance the federal government’s ability to 

attract and retain employees with the skills and competencies needed to 

achieve results.20

 

18Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-411 (Oct. 30, 2004). 

Agency training and development programs should be 

part of an overall management strategy and include processes to assess 

and ensure the training’s effectiveness. Our recent work has also 

underscored the value of collaborative training.

19GAO, NASA: Progress Made on Strategic Human Capital Management, but Future 

Program Challenges Remain, GAO-07-1004 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 8, 2007). 

20GAO, Human Capital: Selected Agencies’ Experiences and Lessons Learned in 

Designing Training and Development Programs, GAO-04-291 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 30, 

2004).

Training and Development
 

Page 12 GAO-12-1023T 

For example, in our 2010 overview of 225 professional development 

activities intended to improve interagency collaboration at nine key 

national security agencies (including DOD, State, and DHS), we noted 

that because no single federal agency has the ability to address these 

threats alone, agencies must work together in a whole-of-government 

approach to protect our nation and its interests. We found that 

interagency training and other professional development activities build 

foundational knowledge, skills, and networks that are intended to improve 

collaboration across agencies.21

Some agencies also use interagency rotations as a type of professional 

development activity that can help improve collaboration across agencies. 

For example, Army’s Interagency Fellowship Program is a 10- to 12-

month rotation that places Army officers in intermediate-level positions at 

other federal agencies and allows them to learn the culture of the host 

agency, hone collaborative skills such as communication and teamwork, 

and establish networks with their civilian counterparts. In a 2012 report, 

we identified key policies and practices that help such interagency 

personnel rotation programs achieve collaboration-related results. These 

policies and practices include, for example, the importance of creating 

shared goals, establishing incentives, and undertaking careful 

preparation.

For example, in fiscal year 2009, the 

military services or combatant commands led an estimated 84 jointmilitary exercise programs that addressed a range of national security 

matters and sought to improve the ability of participants to work across 

agency lines by encouraging interagency participation. In addition, DHS 

offers an introductory online course which is available to personnel across 

federal, state, and local government and provides an overview of the 

roles and responsibilities of various agencies and how they are supposed 

to work together in different emergency situations.

22

Elsewhere, improvements are needed. Our work at State found that while 

the department has taken many steps to incorporate the interrelated 

elements of an effective training program, State’s strategic approach to its 

 

21GAO, National Security: An Overview of Professional Development Activities Intended to 

Improve Interagency Collaboration, GAO-11-108 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2010).

22GAO, Interagency Collaboration: State and Army Personnel Rotation Programs Can 

Build on Positive Results with Additional Preparation and Evaluation, GAO-12-386 

(Washington, D.C.: March 9, 2012).
 

Page 13 GAO-12-1023T 

workforce training still has several key weaknesses.23

More broadly, given current budget constraints, it is essential that 

agencies identify the appropriate level of investment and establish 

priorities for employee training and development, so that the most 

important training needs are addressed first. Our report to you issued 

earlier this week compared agencies’ training investment practices and 

OPM guidance against leading federal training investment practices 

identified from our past work and expert studies.

For example, State 

lacks a systematic, comprehensive training needs assessment process, 

incorporating all bureaus and overseas posts. State also lacks formal 

guidance for curriculum design and for data collection and analysis, and 

thus cannot be assured that proper practices and procedures are 

systematically and comprehensively applied. Moreover, the performance 

measures for training generally do not fully address training goals, and 

are generally output- rather than outcome-oriented. We made several 

recommendations for State to improve strategic planning and evaluation 

of its efforts to train personnel, including improvements to State’s efforts 

to assess training needs. State generally agreed with our 

recommendations and noted that it would look for ways to enhance its 

ability to assess the effectiveness of training and development efforts 

across employee groups and locations. State has not yet provided us with 

evidence that it has taken action to implement the report’s 

recommendations.

24

In our review, we obtained information from 27 CHCOs on their agencies’ 

training investment practices. Many CHCOs reported that they are 

implementing several leading practices important to making strategic 

decisions about training delivery such as, determining the best mix of 

decentralized and centralized training. Some CHCOs expressed the view 

These practices 

included prioritizing investment funding; identifying the most appropriate 

mix of centralized and decentralized approaches for training and 

development programs; and tracking the cost and delivery of training and 

development programs agency-wide.

 

23GAO, Department of State: Additional Steps Are Needed to Improve Strategic Planning 

and Evaluation of Training for State Personnel, GAO-11-241 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 25, 

2011). 

24GAO, Federal Training Investments: OPM and Agencies Can Do More to Ensure CostEffective Decisions, GAO-12-878 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 17, 2012).
 

Page 14 GAO-12-1023T 

that their components or sub-agencies are more knowledgeable about 

their mission-specific training needs, while the central human capital staff 

can add the most value by managing investment decisions for more 

general training across the department. However, many CHCOs reported 

that they do not set a level of investment agency-wide, do not prioritize 

training agency-wide, and do not have information from component or 

sub-agency leaders regarding their level of investments and priorities. 

Consequently, agencies reported that they are duplicating internal training 

investments and missing opportunities to leverage economies of scale 

across their agencies. Officials from all four agencies we interviewed (the 

Departments of Energy, the Interior, DHS, and Veterans Affairs) to obtain 

additional perspective beyond our survey of 27 CHCOs reported that they 

were unaware of the total amount their agencies invest in federal training 

and cannot provide reliable training data to OPM, which requests these 

data to address its government-wide training responsibilities.

We found that agencies independently purchase or develop training for 

the same mandated or common occupational training. Several agencies 

and OPM officials reported that a website administered by OPM to 

provide training for the HR community could be expanded to provide 

mandatory or other common training for federal occupations, which, OPM 

reported, could save millions and help standardize training. We 

recommended, among other things, that OPM improve guidance and 

assistance to agencies in establishing a process for setting and 

prioritizing training investments; improve the reliability of agency training 

investment information; and identify the best existing courses that fulfill 

government-wide training requirements and offer them to all agencies 

through their existing online training platform or another appropriate 

platform. OPM generally agreed with most of our recommendations.25

In broad terms, human capital flexibilities represent the policies and 

practices an agency has the authority to implement in managing its 

workforce to accomplish its mission and achieve its goals. The tailored 

use of such flexibilities helps agencies recruit, develop and retain people 

with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that agencies need to accomplish 

their critical missions and compete with the private sector for top talent.

Human capital flexibilities include monetary incentives such as 

 

25GAO-12-878. 

Workforce Flexibilities
 

Page 15 GAO-12-1023T 

recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses; special hiring authorities 

such as veteran-related hiring authorities; incentive awards such as 

performance-based cash and time-off awards; and work-life policies and 

programs such as flexible work schedules, telework, and child care 

centers and assistance.

Our 2010 report on the use of recruitment, relocation, and retention 

incentives found that these flexibilities were widely used by agencies, and 

that retention incentives accounted for the majority of these incentive 

costs. Our review of the steps OPM has taken to help ensure that 

agencies have effective oversight of their incentive programs found that 

while OPM provided oversight of such incentives through various 

mechanisms, including guidance and periodic evaluations and 

accountability reviews, there are opportunities for improvement.26

To assist and guide agencies in developing and administering their 

work/life programs, OPM has established working groups, sponsored 

training for agency officials, promulgated regulations implementing 

work/life programs, and provided guidance. In our December 2010 report 

on agencies’ satisfaction with OPM’s assistance, we found that most 

agency officials were satisfied with OPM’s help, guidance, and 

information sharing.

We 

recommended that OPM require agencies to incorporate succession 

planning efforts into the decision process for awarding retention 

incentives. OPM agreed with our recommendation and stated that it will 

develop future guidance on the importance of considering succession 

planning in the decision process for awarding retention incentives. In 

January 2011, OPM issued proposed regulations to add succession 

planning to the list of factors an agency may consider before approving a 

retention incentive for an employee who would be likely to leave the 

federal service in the absence of the incentive. OPM has stated that 

specifically listing this factor in the regulations will strengthen the 

relationship between succession planning and retention incentives. OPM 

expects to issue the final regulations before the end of 2012.

27

 

26GAO, Human Capital: Continued Opportunities Exist for FDA and OPM to Improve 

Oversight of Recruitment, Relocation, and Retention Incentives, 

At the same time, we determined that OPM is 

GAO-10-226 

(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 22, 2010). 

27GAO, Federal Work/Life Programs: Agencies Generally Satisfied with OPM Assistance, 

but More Tracking and Information Sharing Needed, GAO-11-137 (Washington, D.C.: 

Dec. 16, 2010).
 

Page 16 GAO-12-1023T 

potentially missing opportunities to provide federal agencies with 

additional information that may help them develop and implement 

work/life programs. As such, we recommended that OPM more 

systematically track data already being collected by individual federal 

agencies on their work/life programs such as program usage, and share 

this information with federal agencies. OPM agreed with our 

recommendations and said it is exploring the use of a Web-based tool 

that would provide an ability to collect data from agencies and present it 

in a more meaningful and systematic manner. According to OPM, the 

goal would be to allow users to note the connection between work/life 

programs being offered and related outcomes/results, encouraging 

agencies to engage in similar efforts.

Leading organizations have found that to successfully transform 

themselves they must often fundamentally change their cultures so that 

they are more results-oriented, customer-focused, and collaborative in 

nature. An effective performance management system is critical to 

achieving this cultural transformation. We have found that having a 

performance management system that creates a “line of sight” showing 

how unit and individual performance can contribute to overall 

organizational goals helps individuals understand the connection between 

their daily activities and the organization’s success. The federal 

government’s senior executives need to lead the way in transforming their 

agencies’ cultures.28 The performance-based pay system for members of 

the Senior Executive Service (SES), which seeks to provide a clear and 

direct linkage between individual performance and organizational results 

as well as pay, is an important step in government-wide transformation. 

The importance of explicitly linking senior executive expectations to 

results-oriented organizational goals is consistent with findings from our 

past work on performance management.29

In January 2012, OPM and OMB released a government-wide SES 

performance appraisal system that provides agencies with a standard 

framework to managing the performance of SES members. While striving 

 

28GAO, Human Capital: Sustained Attention to Strategic Human Capital Management 

Needed, GAO-09-632T (Washington, D.C.: April 22, 2009).

29GAO, Human Capital: Senior Executive Performance Management Can Be Significantly 

Strengthened to Achieve Results, GAO-04-614 (Washington, D.C.: May 26, 2004). 

Results-Oriented 

Cultures
 

Page 17 GAO-12-1023T 

to provide greater clarity and equity in the development of performance 

standards and link to compensation, among other things, the Directors of 

OPM and OMB stated that the new system will also provide agencies with 

the necessary flexibility and capability to customize the system in order to 

meet their needs. Effective implementation of this new system will be 

important because, as we reported in 2008, OPM had found that some 

executive performance plans in use at that time did not fully identify the 

executives’ performance measures.30

Leading organizations also develop and maintain inclusive and diverse 

workforces that reflect all segments of society. Such organizations 

typically foster a work environment in which people are enabled and 

motivated to contribute to continuous learning and improvement as well 

as mission accomplishment and provide both accountability and fairness 

for all employees. As with any organizational change effort, having a 

diverse top leadership corps is an organizational strength that can bring a 

wider variety of perspectives and approaches to bear on policy 

development and implementation, strategic planning, problem solving, 

and decision making.31 In November 2008, we reported on the diversity of 

the SES and the SES developmental pool, from which most SES 

candidates are selected, noting that the representation of women and 

minorities in the SES increased government-wide from October 2000 

through September 2007, but increases did not occur in all major 

executive branch agencies.32

In November 2011, OPM reinforced the importance of promoting the 

federal workplace as a model of equality, diversity, and inclusion through 

the issuance of the Government-Wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategic 

Plan. Organized around three strategic goals—workforce diversity, 

workplace inclusion, and sustainability—the plan provides a shared 

direction, encourages commitment, and creates alignment so that 

 

30GAO, Results-Oriented Management: Opportunities Exist for Refining the Oversight and 

Implementation of the Senior Executive Performance-Based Pay System, GAO-09-82

(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 21, 2008).

31GAO-09-632T. 

32GAO, Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and Processes for Selecting New 

Executives, GAO-09-110 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 26, 2008). 
 

Page 18 GAO-12-1023T 

according to OPM, agencies can approach their workplace diversity and 

inclusion efforts in a coordinated, collaborative, and integrated manner.

In helping to ensure diversity in the pipeline for appointments to the SES 

as well as recruitment at all levels, it is important that agencies have 

strategies to identify and develop a diverse pool of talent for selecting the 

agencies’ potential future leaders and to reach out to a diverse pool of 

talent when recruiting. For example, to recruit diverse applicants, 

agencies will need to consider active recruitment strategies such as 

widening the selection of schools from which to recruit, building formal 

relationships with targeted schools to ensure the cultivation of talent for 

future applicant pools, and partnering with multicultural organizations to 

communicate their commitment to diversity and to build, strengthen, and 

maintain relationships.33

To promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce OPM is also 

focusing on increasing the hiring and retention of people with disabilities 

and veterans.

In 2010, we were asked to identify barriers to the employment of people 

with disabilities in the federal workforce and leading practices that could be 

used to overcome these barriers. In response, we convened a forum to 

identify leading practices that federal agencies could implement within the 

current legislative context. Participants said that the most significant barrier 

keeping people with disabilities from the workplace is attitudinal, which can 

include bias and low expectations for people with disabilities. According to 

participants, there is a fundamental need to change the attitudes of hiring 

managers, supervisors, coworkers, and prospective employees, and that 

cultural change within the agencies is critical to this effort.34

 

33

Participants 

identified practices that agencies could implement to help the federal 

government become a model employer for people with disabilities.

GAO-09-632T. 

34GAO, Highlights of a Forum: Participant-Identified Leading Practices That Could 

Increase the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Workforce, 

GAO-11-81SP (Washington, D.C. Oct. 5, 2010).
 

Page 19 GAO-12-1023T 

Also in July 2010, the President issued Executive Order 1354835 to 

increase the number of individuals with disabilities in the federal 

workforce. Nearly two years after the executive order was signed, we 

found that the federal government was not on track to achieve the 

executive order’s hiring goals. To ensure that the federal government is 

well positioned to become a model employer of individuals with 

disabilities, we recommended that the Director of OPM incorporate 

information about agency deficiencies in hiring individuals with disabilities 

into its regular reporting to the President on implementing the executive 

order; expedite the development of the mandatory agency training plans 

required by the order; and assess the accuracy of the data used to 

measure progress toward the order’s goals.36

Finally, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights 

Act (USERRA) of 1994 protects the employment and reemployment rights 

of federal and nonfederal employees who leave their civilian employment 

to perform military and other uniformed services.

OPM agreed with our 

recommendations and is taking steps to implement them.

37 And the Veterans’ 

Benefits Act of 2010 (VBA) directed the Department of Labor (Labor) and 

Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to establish a 36-month demonstration 

project (2011-2014) for receiving, investigating, and resolving USERRA 

claims filed against federal executive agencies.38

In September 2012, as part of our mandated effort to assess the relative 

performance of USERRA claim processing at Labor and OSC, we 

determined that both agencies had implemented comparable processes 

The VBA also required 

that we evaluate how Labor and OSC designed the demonstration project 

and assess their relative performance during and after the demonstration

project.

 

35Executive Order 13548 of July 26, 2010., Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals 

with Disabilities, Federal Register /Vol. 75, No. 146 / Friday, July 30, 2010 / Presidential 

Documents p.45039.

36GAO, Disability Employment: Further Action Needed to Oversee Efforts to Meet Federal 

Government Hiring Goals, GAO-12-568 (Washington, D.C.: May 25, 2012). 

37Pub. L. No. 103-353, 108 Stat. 3149 (Oct. 13, 1994) (codified at 38 U.S.C. §§ 4301-

4335). USERRA is the most recent in a series of laws protecting veterans’ employment 

and reemployment rights going back to the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. 

Pub. L. No. 783, 54 Stat. 885, 890 (Sept. 16, 1940).

38Pub. L. No. 111-275, § 105, 124 Stat. 2864, 2868-70 (Oct. 13, 2010). 
 

Page 20 GAO-12-1023T 

that should allow Congress to evaluate their relative performance at the 

conclusion of the 3-year demonstration project established by 

Congress.39

Although Labor and OSC neither agreed nor disagreed with our 

recommendations, they discussed actions that they both plan to take to 

implement our suggestions. For example, Labor said it will review cost 

data on a quarterly basis for inconsistent or questionable data and correct 

and report any identified data issues each quarter, as necessary. OSC 

said it is reviewing its procedures for compiling and reporting cost data 

during the demonstration project, and is committed to making any 

necessary changes to ensure the demonstration project satisfies 

Congress’s goals.

However, to improve agencies’ ability to assess relative 

performance, we recommended that both agencies take additional steps 

to ensure data integrity for the performance data they plan to report.

Strategic human capital management must be the centerpiece of any 

serious effort to ensure federal agencies operate as high-performing 

organizations. A high-quality federal workforce is especially critical now 

given the complex, multi-dimensional issues facing the nation. 

Achievement of this goal is challenging, especially in light of the fiscal 

pressures confronting our national government.

When we first identified strategic human capital management as a high 

risk area in 2001, it was because many agencies faced challenges in key 

areas including leadership; workforce planning; talent management; and 

creating results-oriented organizational cultures. Since then, the federal 

government has made substantial progress in beginning to address 

human capital challenges and, in many ways, is taking a far more 

strategic approach to managing personnel. Through a variety of 

initiatives, Congress, OPM, and individual agencies have strengthened 

the federal human capital infrastructure. As a result of these 

improvements, in 2011 we narrowed the focus of our high risk 

assessment to closing current and emerging critical skills gaps. These 

challenges must be addressed for agencies to cost-effectively execute 

their missions and respond to emerging challenges.

 

39See GAO, Veterans’ Reemployment Rights: Department of Labor and Office of Special 

Counsel Need to Take Additional Steps to Ensure Demonstration Project Data Integrity, 

GAO-12-860R (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 10, 2012).

Concluding 

Observations
 

Page 21 GAO-12-1023T 

In short, while much progress has been made over the last 11 years in 

modernizing federal human capital management, the job is far from over. 

Making greater progress requires agencies to continue to address their 

specific personnel challenges, as well as work with OPM and through the 

CHCO Council to address critical skills gaps. Central to success will be 

the continued attention of top-level leadership, effective planning, 

responsive implementation, and robust measurement and evaluation, as 

well as continued congressional oversight to hold agencies accountable 

for results.40

Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Johnson, and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this completes my prepared statement. I would be 

pleased to respond to any questions.

For further information regarding this statement, please contact Robert 

Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic Issues, at (202) 512-6806, or 

goldenkoffr@gao.gov, or Yvonne D. Jones, Director, Strategic Issues, at 

(202) 512-6806, or jonesy@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this statement. 

Individuals making key contributions to this statement include Trina 

Lewis, Assistant Director; Shea Bader, Analyst-in-Charge; Margaret Best, 

Barbara Bovbjerg, Sara Daleski, Timothy DiNapoli, William Doherty, 

Brenda Farrell, Michele Fejfar; Robert Gebhart, Shirley Jones, Steven 

Lozano, Erik Kjeldgaard, Latesha Love, Signora May, Rebecca Rose, 

Jeffrey Schmerling, Rebecca Shea, Wesley Sholtes and Jason 

Vassilicos. Key contributors for the earlier work that supports this 

testimony are listed in each product.

 

40GAO, Strategic Plan 2007-2012, GAO-07-1SP (Washington, D.C.: March 30, 2007).

Contacts and 

Acknowledgments
Appendix I: GAO Products Related to Federal 

Human Capital Issues 

Page 22 GAO-12-1023T 

Federal Training Investments: OPM and Agencies Can Do More to 

Ensure Cost-Effective Decisions. GAO-12-878. Washington, D.C.: 

September 17, 2012.

Veterans’ Reemployment Rights: Department of Labor and Office of 

Special Counsel Need to Take Additional Steps to Ensure Demonstration 

Project Data Integrity. GAO-12-860R. Washington, D.C.: 

September 10, 2012.

Oil and Gas Management: Interior’s Reorganization Complete, but 

Challenges Remain in Implementing New Requirements. GAO-12-423. 

Washington, D.C.: July 30, 2012. 

Human Capital: HHS and EPA Can Improve Practices Under Special 

Hiring Authorities. GAO-12-692. Washington, D.C.: July 9, 2012.

Managing for Results: GAO’s Work Related to the Interim Crosscutting 

Priority Goals under the GPRA Modernization Act. GAO-12-620R. 

Washington, D.C.: May 31, 2012.

Disability Employment: Further Action Needed to Oversee Efforts to Meet 

Federal Government Hiring Goals. GAO-12-568. Washington, D.C.: 

May 25, 2012.

Disaster Assistance Workforce: FEMA Could Enhance Human Capital 

Management and Training. GAO-12-538. Washington, D.C.: 

May 25, 2012.

Federal Emergency Management Agency: Workforce Planning and 

Training Could Be Enhanced by Incorporating Strategic Management 

Principles. GAO-12-487. Washington, D.C.: April 26, 2012.

Modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise: Strategies and Challenges 

in Sustaining Critical Skills in Federal and Contractor Workforces. 

GAO-12-468. Washington, D.C.: April 26, 2012.

Interagency Collaboration: State and Army Personnel Rotation Programs 

Can Build on Positive Results with Additional Preparation and Evaluation. 

GAO-12-386. Washington, D.C.: March 9, 2012.

OPM Retirement Modernization: Progress Has Been Hindered by 

Longstanding Information Technology Management Weaknesses. 

GAO-12-430T. Washington, D.C.: February 1, 2012.

Appendix I: GAO Products Related to Federal 

Human Capital Issues
Appendix I: GAO Products Related to Federal 

Human Capital Issues 

Page 23 GAO-12-1023T 

Cybersecurity Human Capital: Initiatives Need Better Planning and 

Coordination. GAO-12-8. Washington, D.C.: November 29, 2011.

Emergency Preparedness: Agencies Need Coordinated Guidance on 

Incorporating Telework into Emergency and Continuity Planning. 

GAO-11-628. Washington, D.C.: July 22, 2011.

High-Risk Series: An Update. GAO-11-278. Washington, D.C.: 

February 16, 2011.

Department of State: Additional Steps Are Needed to Improve Strategic 

Planning and Evaluation of Training for State Personnel. GAO-11-241. 

Washington, D.C.: January 25, 2011.

Federal Work/Life Programs: Agencies Generally Satisfied with OPM 

Assistance, but More Tracking and Information Sharing Needed. 

GAO-11-137. Washington, D.C.: December 16, 2010.

National Security: An Overview of Professional Development Activities 

Intended to Improve Interagency Collaboration. GAO-11-108. 

Washington, D.C.: November 15, 2010.

Highlights of a Forum: Participant-Identified Leading Practices That Could 

Increase the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal 

Workforce. GAO-11-81SP. Washington, D.C.: October 5, 2010.

Foreign Language Capabilities: Departments of Homeland Security, 

Defense, and State Could Better Assess Their Foreign Language Needs 

and Capabilities and Address Shortfalls. GAO-10-715T. Washington, 

D.C.: July 29, 2010.

Human Capital: Continued Opportunities Exist for FDA and OPM to 

Improve Oversight of Recruitment, Relocation, and Retention Incentives. 

GAO-10-226. Washington, D.C.: January 22, 2010.

Department of State: Comprehensive Plan Needed to Address Persistent 

Foreign Language Shortfalls. GAO-09-955. Washington, D.C.: September 

17, 2009.

Human Capital: Sustained Attention to Strategic Human Capital 

Management Needed. GAO-09-632T. Washington, D.C.: April 22, 2009.
Appendix I: GAO Products Related to Federal 

Human Capital Issues 

Page 24 GAO-12-1023T 

Office of Personnel Management: Retirement Modernization Planning 

and Management Shortcomings Need to Be Addressed. GAO-09-529. 

Washington, D.C.: April 21, 2009.

Department of Defense: Additional Actions and Data Are Needed to 

Effectively Manage and Oversee DOD’s Acquisition Workforce. 

GAO-09-342. Washington, D.C.: March 25, 2009.

Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and Processes for Selecting 

New Executives. GAO-09-110. Washington, D.C.: November 26, 2008.

Results-Oriented Management: Opportunities Exist for Refining the 

Oversight and Implementation of the Senior Executive PerformanceBased Pay System. GAO-09-82. Washington, D.C.: November 21, 2008.

Department of Homeland Security: A Strategic Approach Is Needed to 

Better Ensure the Acquisition Workforce Can Meet Mission Needs. 

GAO-09-30. Washington, D.C.: November 19, 2008.

Office of Personnel Management: Improvements Needed to Ensure 

Successful Retirement Systems Modernization. GAO-08-345. 

Washington, D.C.: January 31, 2008.

NASA: Progress Made on Strategic Human Capital Management, but 

Future Program Challenges Remain. GAO-07-1004. Washington, D.C.: 

August 8, 2007.

Strategic Plan, 2007-2012. GAO-07-1SP. Washington, D.C.: 

March 30, 2007.

Office of Personnel Management: Key Lessons Learned to Date for 

Strengthening Capacity to Lead and Implement Human Capital Reforms. 

GAO-07-90. Washington, D.C.: January 19, 2007.

Office of Personnel Management: Retirement Systems Modernization 

Program Faces Numerous Challenges. GAO-05-237. Washington, D.C.: 

February 28, 2005.

Diversity Management: Expert-Identified Leading Practices and Agency 

Examples. GAO-05-90. Washington, D.C.: January 14, 2005.

High Risk Series: An Update, GAO-05-207. Washington, D.C.: 

January 1, 2005.
Appendix I: GAO Products Related to Federal 

Human Capital Issues 

Page 25 GAO-12-1023T 

Human Capital: Senior Executive Performance Management Can Be 

Significantly Strengthened to Achieve Results. GAO-04-614. Washington, 

D.C.: May 26, 2004.

Human Capital: A Guide for Assessing Strategic Training and 

Development Efforts in the Federal Government. GAO-04-546G. 

Washington, D.C.: March 1, 2004.

High-Performing Organizations: Metrics, Means, and Mechanisms for 

Achieving High Performance in the 21st Century Public Management 

Environment. GAO-04-343SP. Washington, D.C.: February 13, 2004.

Human Capital: Selected Agencies’ Experiences and Lessons Learned in 

Designing Training and Development Programs. GAO-04-291. 

Washington, D.C.: January 30, 2004.

Human Capital: Key Principles for Effective Workforce Planning, 

GAO-04-39. Washington, D.C.: December 11, 2003.

Human Capital: Opportunities to Improve Executive Agencies’ Hiring 

Processes. GAO-03-450. Washington, D.C.: May 30, 2003.

High-Risk Series: An Update. GAO-01-263. Washington, D.C.: 

January 2001.

(451008)
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