Book Description

Tight budgets and high inflation make it essential that government agencies obtain the greatest output possible from their resources. An effective product ivity measurement system can be extremely important in helping agencies achieve productivity improvements. The Defense Logistics Agency has one of the best-designed measurement systems in the Government, but it does not derive full benefits from the system because it does not use data based on productivity and work measures in budgeting and barely uses such data for other management purposes. Limited management attention to the system has also caused deficiencies which affect its credibility and use. The deficiencies include insufficient training, inadequate standards development, insufficient controls over data accuracy, and ineffective measurement system use. The Agency's new work standards program could correct some of these problems, but it too has serious management weaknesses which affect data credibility. Productivity and work measures are beneficial as res ource allocation tools to the Congress, executive branch management, and budget reviewers at all levels. GAO found that these review authorities, by not requesting or using productivity data where such measurements were possible, contributed to the Agency's not encouraging its managers to make effective use of the me asurement system.