Ten-Step Guide to Writing Your

Accomplishment Report

Table of Contents

       Page

Introduction..................................................................................3

The Purpose of an Accomplishment Report..........................................3

When to Prepare an Accomplishment Report ........................................3

How to Prepare an Accomplishment Report............................................3

Step 1 – Create an Accomplishment Folder.............................................................3

Step 2 – Document Accomplishments via SAR Model................................................3

Step 3 – Address Each Performance Element.........................................................3

Step 4 – Distinguish Activities from Accomplishments...............................................4

Step 5 – Describe the Accomplishment...............................................................4

Step 6 – Use “I” Statements...............................................................................4

Step 7 – Use Action Verbs.................................................................................4

Step 8 – Describe the Impact...............................................................................4

Step 9 – Avoid Laundry Lists.............................................................................. 4

Step 10 – Proofread Your Accomplishment Report..................................................... 4

Examples of Accomplishments Using SAR Model..................................... 5

Appendix A – List of Action Verbs....................................................... 8

**Introduction**

This guide is designed to assist Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) employees with developing clear, concise, and effective accomplishment reports. Most of the examples presented in this guide are actual (or slightly modified) accomplishments of FSIS employees, which represent several occupations, and are intended solely for the purpose of demonstrating a well-written accomplishment report. Do not copy verbatim these accomplishments and then submit as your own.

**The Purpose of an Accomplishment Report**

The accomplishment report is used as a reference tool in determining an employee’s rating of record, and referred to during the performance discussion between the employee and the rating official. In addition, the accomplishment report serves as a reminder to both the employee and supervisor of individual accomplishments during a performance cycle. The Agency recommends that all ratable FSIS employees prepare an accomplishment report.

**When to Prepare an Accomplishment Report**

Though not a requirement, employees will be requested to submit their annual accomplishment report to their supervisor near the end of the performance cycle. FSIS employees should submit their accomplishment reports to their supervisor in early September.  However, employees can amend their accomplishment reports with any additional accomplishments through the end of the rating period. . Accomplishments for your mission results element should be no more than two pages, and accomplishments for all other elements should be no more than one page.

**How to Prepare an Accomplishment Report**

***Step 1:*Create an accomplishment folder.**Since it is easy to forget accomplishments as the performance year progresses, it is a good idea to start documenting your accomplishments early and periodically. Create an accomplishment folder in which to keep notes, feedback received, activity/status reports, calendars, and previous accomplishment reports.

***Step 2:*Document accomplishments using the Situation, Action, Result (SAR) methodology.**

Accomplishments should be precise and identify specific outcomes (See Examples).

***Step 3:*Address each performance element (critical or non-critical).**Performance elements describe what the employee is expected to do. FSIS has established eleven generic elements for both supervisors and employees. All employees and supervisors are to have between 3 and 7 performance elements. FSIS has designated the following mandatory critical elements for employees and supervisors:

An accomplishment may address more than one performance element. For such situations, you can document the accomplishment and state the following sentence in parentheses after the accomplishment *(This accomplishment addresses Performance Element #2, #3, #4, or #5 as well.),*

or you can prepare a separate narrative for each of the elements the accomplishment addresses, and specify the results associated with each separate element.

***Step 4:*Distinguish activities from accomplishments.**

To develop clear, concise, and effective accomplishment reports, employees must be able to distinguish activities from accomplishments.

***Activities***are the actions taken to produce results and are generally described using verbs. Examples of activities include:

1. Wrote a directive;

2. Developed software programs;

3. Performed inspections; and

4. Initiated recall procedures.

***Accomplishments***are the outcomes or results of activities performed by an employee or work unit. They are generally described using nouns. Examples of accomplishments include:

1.  A directive that is complete and 100% accurate;

2.  A software program that increases operational efficiency;

3.  Perform ante mortem inspection for meat, poultry, and egg products in accordance with regulatory requirements.

4.  Initiated recall procedures for red meat with appropriate follow through as per regulatory requirements.

***Step 5:*Describe the accomplishment (be specific).**

Refer to activity/status reports, calendars, previous accomplishment reports, and your accomplishment folder to jog your memory. Focus on what you did, why it mattered, and the specific outcome that occurred.

***Step 6:*Use “I” Statements.**

The accomplishment report summarizes ***your***accomplishments.

***Step 7:*Use action verbs that describe the specific role in each accomplishment.**

(See Appendix A: List of Action Verbs.)

***Step 8*: Describe the impact, result, or outcome of each accomplishment. Use your performance plan as a guide to address the standards.**

a. Did it enhance a work process?

b. Did it benefit a customer?

c. Did it help the organization achieve its goals?

***Step 9:*Avoid laundry lists.**

Focus on major accomplishments that address the performance elements. Do not provide a long- bulleted list of every duty performed during the cycle.

***Step 10:*Prior to submission, spell check and proofread your accomplishment report.**

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Get a coworker to help you proof your responses. Lack of attention to your grammar and spelling may diminish your written responses. Accomplishments for your mission support element should be no more than two pages, and accomplishments for all other elements should be no more than one page.

FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE

**EXAMPLES OF ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT**

Office of Field Operations (OFO) – Enforcement Investigation Analysis Officer

Situation:FSIS received notification of potentially unsafe food product.

Action:I served as the lead Enforcement Investigation Analysis Officer (EIAO) in conducting pre-recall activities. I participated as a member of the Recall Committee, providing info that assisted in determining the classification and scope of the recall.  While conducting product disposition verifications and recall effectiveness checks I observed affected product in commerce.  I detained the product and notified my District Office.

Result:Based on the information I provided, the Agency determined the establishment’s recall was ineffective.  The Agency took appropriate legal action to remove the product from commerce, thereby reducing the risk to public health and serving as an impetus to increased compliance from this and other establishments.

Office of Field Operations (OFO) – Public Health Veterinarian

Situation:FSIS is considering new inspection procedures at meat packaging facilities.

Action:I personally conducted 15 plant visits, ensuring a full and comprehensive overview of a wide variety of plants.

Result:As a result of these visits, 6 specific recommendations I made were incorporated into the new inspection procedures, positively impacting food safety while improving the efficiency of inspections. The full report of the project team is attached.

Office of Management (OM) – Human Resources Specialist

Situation:FSIS was in great need of an effective training course on business writing.

Action:I developed a new training course on effective business writing.  I conducted necessary research, reading 5 books and numerous magazine and journal articles on effective business writing.  Through my research I learned that the United States Air Force had created an award winning business/government writing workshop and interviewed 3 of their instructors and course designers.

Result:The Air Force course designers gave me permission to modify their materials for use in our Agency. Being able to adapt the proven Air Force material to FSIS use saved over

$25,000 in course design costs and enabled the first workshop to be delivered 8 weeks ahead of schedule.  The first two workshops were delivered during this performance period and received overall participant evaluation scores of 4.68 on a 5.00 scale.

Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education (OPACE) – Public Affairs Specialist

Situation:This year, our office received over 150 Congressional inquiries, which is twice the number we usually receive in a year.

Action:My average turn-around time for these inquiries was 1.5 days, exceeding the 2 – 3 day Agency requirement.  Of these 154, only 4 were returned for additional comment and rework.

Result:The timely response rate and accurate information provided reflected credit on the office and the Agency as a whole, as shown in the numerous positive comments received by Congressional staff.  (e-mails attached)

Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) – IT Specialist

Situation:FSIS needs updated software for the Budget Division.

Action:I managed a team of 12 that developed, enhanced, and released software updates for Price and Budget Software, which will have a broad and significant impact on how the organization handles pricing.

Result:In accordance with the approved project plan, the release occurred on April 30, 2010.

The tool has met with success, with customer satisfaction scores averaged 4.4 out of 5 and many responses thanking the team for making the software simpler, faster, and easier to use.

Office of Public Health Science (OPHS)– Microbiologist

Situation:I was tasked with conducting tests for the multi-laboratory validation of a new methodology for Campylobacter testing in support of the Campylobacter regulations.

Action:I performed biological tests that were vital in evaluating the proposed new methodology in Campylobacter testing.

Result:I provided adequate, timely, and accurate data to the Agency to be used in evaluating the proposed protocol for the testing Campylobacter on samples submitted to FSIS for the program.

Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) – Program Analyst

Situation:Protect the public health by preventing the spread of emerging pathogens from establishment employees to food consumers.

Action:Served as team leader in the development of a new Agency directive which presented new verification methodologies and concepts.

Result:The directive, and its new methodologies and concepts, allowed FSIS to verify that

80% of establishments had adequate health programs to prevent product adulteration and to focus efforts on the remaining 20% of establishments with the highest risk.

**Appendix A – List of Action Verbs**

*Below is a listing of some action verbs that you may wish to use when preparing your accomplishment report*.

Accelerated Accomplished Achieved Acquired Activated Adapted Administered Advanced Advised Analyzed Applied Appointed Appraised Approved Arranged Assembled Assisted Assumed Assured Audited Awarded Balanced Budgeted Catalogued Caused Changed Charted Classified Coded Collaborated Collected Combined Compared Competed Compiled Completed Composed Condensed Conducted Consolidated Constructed Contracted Controlled Convened Converted Convinced Coordinated Corrected Counseled Created Curtailed

Dealt

Decided

Delivered Demonstrated Designed Detailed Determined Developed Devised Diagnosed Directed Discovered Displayed Disseminated Documented Doubled Drafted Earned

Edited Educated Effected Elevated Eliminated Employed Enabled Encouraged Enforced Engineered Enlarged Enlisted Ensured Equipped Established Estimated Evaluated Exceeded Excelled Executed Exhibited Expanded Expedited Explained Extended Faced Facilitated Fashioned Filled Financed Finished Focused Forecasted Forged Formalized Formed Formulated

Fostered Fought Found Fulfilled Functioned Furthered Generated Governed Granted Guided Halved Headed Hired Hosted Illustrated

Implemented

Improved Incorporated Increased Influenced Informed Initiated Innovated Inspired Instructed Integrated Intensified Interacted Interpreted Interviewed Introduced Invented Invested Investigated Issued

Joined Justified Kept

Keynoted

Launched Leaned Led

Maintained Managed Mandated Marketed Mastered Maximized Mediated Minimized Modernized Modified Monitored

Motivated Moved Named Negotiated Notified Obtained Offered Officiated Operated Ordered Organized Originated Paid Participated Performed Persuaded Piloted Pioneered Placed Planned Prepared Presented Prevented Procured Professed Profited Programmed Prohibited Projected Promoted Provided Published Purchased Qualified Ranked Received Recognized

Recommended Reconciled Recruited Reduced Renegotiated Reorganized Repaired Replaced Replied Reported Represented Researched Resolved Responded Revamped Revised

Sampled Satisfied Saved Scheduled Screened Secured Selected Settled Simplified Solved Sought Specified Started Stimulated Strengthened Structured Studied Submitted Substituted Succeeded Suggested Summarized Supervised Surveyed Synthesized Tackled Tapped Targeted Taught Tested

Traced Trained Transformed Translated Traveled Treated Triggered Tripled Turned Unified Updated Upgraded Used Validated Verified Volunteered Worked Wrote