USDA Departmental Directives Checklist

This Checklist is intended for originators of Departmental Directives and provided so the 

originator can address commonly occurring themes that cause delay to the Departmental 

Directive clearance process.

General Considerations

Does directive align with USDA goals and objectives identified in USDA Strategic Plan?

Does directive coincide with any Presidential initiatives or Federal guidance?

Is the directive duplicative to any existing Departmental Directives or Federal activities?

If the directive could have an impact on labor unions within USDA, has the Office of Primary 

Interest (OPI) contacted Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) to determine the 

best course of action?

Does the directive clearly articulate the need for the directive and the problem/issue being 

addressed with the implementation of the directive?

Are responsibilities clearly identified for agency and staff office officials responsible for 

implementing the directive?

Does the directive create new organizational structures or rely upon existing structures (i.e., does 

it leverage existing working groups to carry out activities)?

If a definition section is included, are definitions appropriate for purposes of the Departmental 

Regulation (DR)? Is there a definition for every term that should be defined? Does the DR use 

terms like “office” and “agency” consistent with those terms as defined in DR 0100-001 for the 

Directives system as a whole?

Is the use and definitions of terms in appendices consistent with the DR text?

Are all acronyms included in the DR defined the first time that they are used?

Are cross-references to other Directives correct?

Are all appendices that are supposed to be attached included?

Have all necessary organizations been included in the drafting and clearance of this directive 

(e.g., OCIO would be involved in anything that has an IT component)?

Does numbering of sections and paragraphs, and use of figures, tables, and appendices, conform 

to format prescribed for a DR in DM 0100-001 and is each paragraph formatted properly?
Legal Considerations

If authorities (laws, regulations, executive orders) for the directive are cited, are the citations 

correct? OGC prefers U.S. Code cites rather than Public Law cites for statutes.

If the authority for the DR is summarized or quoted in the DR, is the summary or quotation 

accurate?

Is the authority cited the correct authority or should another law or regulation be cited?

Has the OPI reviewed existing laws, regulations, or directives?

Does the directive conflict with any law, regulation or directive?

Is the DR clear as to any existing directives it supersedes or replaces?

Budgetary Considerations

Are budget numbers cited (if any) consistent with President’s Budget request and Departmental 

budgetary priorities?

Has funding source been identified for proposed activities?

What financial/budgetary burden does a proposed directive place on USDA agencies and staff 

offices?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been conducted for proposal?

Submission Considerations

Has the Originator completely filled out the AD-116?

Does the OPI have a finalized draft ready to submit into clearance?

Does the OPI have any additional background information that the Clearing Officials would 

require to speed the clearance process?

If a submission is missing the AD-116 or the draft Directive, it cannot be processed and will be 

returned to the OPI.

**If you have any questions, please contact the Departmental Directives Manager**