Performance.gov: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Improve Website Usability

Citation
Government Accountability Office, Performance.gov: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Improve Website Usability (GAO-16-693) (Aug. 30, 2016).

Overview
Congress took steps to improve federal performance reporting through GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) by requiring that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide performance information via a publicly available central website, Performance.gov. In June 2013, the GAO reported on the initial development of Performance.gov. GPRAMA includes a provision for the GAO to periodically review its implementation.

This report assesses the OMB's (1) effort to ensure Performance.gov's usefulness, and (2) strategic plan for the website. The GAO compared elements of Performance.gov to GSA's Digitalgov.gov requirements for federal websites. The GAO summarized prior work on the OMB's implementation of selected GPRAMA requirements.

The GAO is making three recommendations that the OMB work with the GSA and the PIC to 1) ensure the information presented on Performance.gov consistently complies with GPRAMA public reporting requirements for the website's content; 2) analyze and, where appropriate, implement usability test results to improve Performance.gov; and 3) develop a strategic plan for the future of Performance.gov that includes goals, objectives, and resources needed to meet website requirements; a customer outreach plan; and a strategy to manage and archive data.