USAID’s operational performance is important to the Agency’s ability to achieve its development objectives; align resources with priorities; and support our partner countries on the Journey to Self-Reliance. As part of this, the Agency coordinates and conducts a wide range of management assessments and analyses, using a variety of methods, including desk studies, data analyses, business process reviews, and systems analyses.  To learn more about operational performance management at USAID, read the Agency’s Operations Performance Policy.

Management Initiatives

USAID’s contribution to the Government-wide management improvement agenda is presented on performance.gov in the following focus areas:

• IT Modernization: Improve IT performance by using modern commercial technologies that are effective, economical, and secure; by reducing the impact of cybersecurity risks by safeguarding IT systems, sensitive data, and networks; and by leveraging innovative practices to improve efficiency, increase security, and ultimately meet citizens’ needs.
• Data, Accountability and Transparency: Leverage data as a strategic asset by improving the use of data for decision-making and accountability for the Federal Government, including for policy-making, innovation, oversight, transparency, and learning
• Workforce for the 21^st Century: Drive and encourage strategic human capital management by creating effective and efficient mission achievement and improved service to America through enhanced alignment and strategic management of the Federal workforce.
• Sharing Quality Services: Improve efficiency and effectiveness of administrative services across government by delivering technology and process improvements to improve citizen services; implementing simpler grants application processes so more grant resources are directed to results rather than duplicative compliance actions; reducing taxpayer costs by closing the gap between the Federal Government’s performance in administrative services and industry best in class; and shifting time, effort, and funding currently spent on administrative services to core mission priorities.
• Shifting from Low-Value to High-Value Work: Increase high-value work by reviewing and streamlining USAID administrative requirements that over-burden bureaus and programs; reducing burden through tools such as integrated IT and automation software; working with Congress to eliminate outdated legislative reporting requirements; and reducing unnecessary costs and compliance requirements to eliminate low-value, unnecessary, and outdated policies and requirements issued by the Federal Government.
• Category Management: Leverage common contracts and best practices to drive savings and efficiencies by expanding the use of high-quality, high-value strategic sourcing solutions in order to improve the government’s buying power and reduce contract duplication.
• Results-Oriented Accountability for Grants: Rebalance compliance efforts with a focus on results for the American taxpayer; standardize grant reporting data and improve data collection to increase efficiency, promote evaluation, and reduce reporting burden; and measure progress and share lessons learned and best practices to inform future efforts and support innovation to achieve program results.
• Improve Management of Major Acquisitions: Federal agencies will ensure that contracts supporting transformative and other priority projects will meet or beat delivery schedules, provide exceptional customer service, and achieve savings or cost avoidance for the taxpayer.  
• Federal  IT Spending Transparency: Improve business, financial, and acquisition outcomes by adopting the Technology Business Management (TMB) Framework to drive innovation and business transformation, improve services to citizens, add cost transparency, and increase accountability to taxpayers.