The agency became a GPRA pilot with some distinct advantages. Progress toward the Coast Guard's goal of reducing accidental maritime deaths and injuries is measured by monitoring the number of deaths per 100,000 maritime workers. But the measure relies on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the number of maritime workers and that figure has fluctuated dramatically year to year. To improve data quality, the Coast Guard indexes BLS data using a 1987 National Marine Fisheries Service survey and has begun using multiyear rather than annual data. Information which is valid, clear, comprehensible and comparable to some basis, is different in terms of the equipment and people you need.
Information implies quality and that implies time and effort.
Boegel says the lessons learned by the GPRA pilot are being applied as the Coast Guard develops a new marine safety information system. Program evaluation plays a role, too, he says. A post-evaluation group revisits rules several years after they take effect to confirm they're performing as expected. GPRA will produce a boom in program evaluation, predicts Coast Guard Cmdr. Jean Butler, who is on detail as a member of Transportation's strategic planning team.