The Biden-Harris Management Agenda Vision

Letter from President Biden

One of the central questions of our time is whether American democracy can still deliver—can we come together to meet the most pressing needs of our people?

We stand at an inflection point today, one marked by historic challenges: a global pandemic that has devastated families and exacerbated longstanding inequities, an economy still recovering from the disruption of the virus, a climate crisis that poses an existential threat, and many more.

To build back better—and prove that Government can still deliver results—we must do more than just recover from these crises. We have to overcome them in a way that meets the needs of all of the American people, restores people’s faith in our Government to come through when it matters most, and lays a strong and equitable foundation for working families for years to come.

The President’s Management Agenda (PMA) is a blueprint for our Government to deliver for Americans the Government they deserve as we continue to build back better. I am proud to share this PMA Vision, which brings us together around three critical areas for bold transformation: (1) strengthening and empowering the Federal workforce, (2) delivering excellent Federal services and improved customer experience, and (3) managing the business of Government to build back better.

This work can only succeed if we all come together—not only across agencies, but across States, communities, and other sectors as well. No one entity can solve the problems we face on its own, but there is nothing we can’t achieve if we unite around a common purpose. While we have plenty of work ahead to build an equitable, effective, and accountable Government that delivers results for all, we are building on a strong foundation, and the possibilities before us are limitless.

With this PMA Vision, we have a roadmap for our Government to deliver results for all Americans—and an opportunity to ensure that future generations look back on this time as the moment we decided to build back better.

Let’s get to work—as one nation, together.

Executive Summary

Under the President’s leadership, our country is getting back on track and rising to meet the full range of challenges and opportunities before us—creating jobs and growing the economy, combating the COVID-19 pandemic, confronting the climate crisis, and advancing equity.

Making the most of this historic moment, helping our country build back better, and delivering on President Biden’s ambitious agenda for our country also requires strengthening our Government’s capacity to meet the needs of all Americans—a Government that works for people by meeting them where they are.

To deliver that future, and to ensure a Government built for all, the Biden-Harris Management Agenda will focus on strategies to advance three core priorities:

1. Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce
2. Delivering Excellent, Equitable, and Secure Federal Services and Customer Experience
3. Managing the Business of Government to Build Back Better

Our focus on and commitment to these three priorities will build on steady improvements in Government systems and processes across Executive Branch departments and agencies and across Administrations. We—the President’s Management Council—offer this high-level vision for the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) now, because defining and undertaking the multi-year, whole-of-Government work of the PMA will be an investment—one that requires partnership, coordination, and inclusive opportunities for participation in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

First, we commit to ensuring that the Federal workforce is strong, empowered, and well equipped to effectively deliver for the public. To do that, the Federal Government must become a model employer, with high employee engagement, a commitment to respect workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively, and strong systems to hire, retain, and develop the people needed to deliver agency missions. That includes having a workforce—at every level—that looks like America. Being a model employer also includes evolving our workplaces and work practices to reflect the needs of our workforce today and tomorrow, including by ensuring that Federal employees have a voice in their workplaces through their unions. The people who serve in Government are our Government’s most important assets.

Second, we will improve the experience of those Government serves—all of the people, families, businesses, organizations, and communities across America, especially those communities that have been historically underserved by Government—when they use Government services. This focus on customer experience will not only improve the delivery, efficiency, security, and effectiveness of our Government programs, it will advance equity and enhance everyday interactions with public services and uplift the lives of those who need it the most.

Third, we will use how we manage the business of Government—as a Federal enterprise—to catalyze outcomes that support building back better. These efforts will foster lasting improvements in how the Federal Government buys products and services to strengthen domestic manufacturing, support America’s workers, create and sustain good-quality union jobs, lead by example toward sustainable climate solutions, and create opportunities for underserved communities. These efforts also will build capacity in Government financial management systems and enhance how the Government manages grants and other forms of financial assistance to support American industrial strategy, address climate-related risks, and deliver equitable results.

This simple but powerful three-part approach—focusing on strengthening the Federal workforce, improving the experiences of those interacting with their Government, and managing the business of Government to build back better and address our most pressing challenges—is how the Biden-Harris Administration will create an effective, equitable, and accountable Government that delivers results for all. Delivering results and being accountable for our actions will steadily rebuild trust between the public and their Government.

Each of the three priorities will be advanced through new and expanded cross-Government efforts on specific strategies defined in this PMA Vision. In addition, to support the three priorities outlined herein, and to drive strong Government performance across all of the Government’s work, we will build on long-standing efforts to enhance Government capacity for delivering results. Agencies will continue to work together to enhance and secure Government information technology as a vital support and catalyst for mission delivery. Agencies will further enhance Federal data management and data science capabilities, building on more than a decade of focus across the Federal Government. Agencies will continue to nurture a culture of evidence-based policymaking and scientific integrity as together we implement the President’s vision and make decisions that impact people’s daily lives.

Performance management and measurement processes, including cross-agency priority goals, agency implementation of their strategic plans and agency priority goals, and the indicators and outcomes which will be tracked on Performance.gov, will help us learn whether we are making progress toward this PMA Vision.

To deliver for all Americans, we will involve the Federal workforce across levels, positions, and roles, as well as their unions. We will work with Congress and the oversight community, including Offices of Inspectors General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, as appropriate, and collaborate across sectors and levels of government.

Critically, we aim to develop better mechanisms to receive direct feedback and engage with the people, organizations, and communities Government serves.

This vision is just the beginning—a roadmap for a whole-of-Government effort and transformation in the way the Federal Government operates. We welcome you to join us in the hard work ahead to further define and implement this vision. Through collaboration, we can ensure a Government for tomorrow that serves and meets the needs of all Americans.

What is the PMA?

The PMA defines Government-wide management priorities for all Federal agencies to improve how Government operates and performs. Each of the prior three Administrations released one or more PMAs.

The Biden-Harris Management Agenda Vision sets forth the Administration’s top priorities for reforming how Government works to best serve the public. The launch of this Vision sets the stage for our work together through the PMA.

To make the most of this moment as our country builds back better, we will build from this PMA Vision by working together and reaching across agencies, across branches and levels of government, and across sectors to overcome some of the most pressing management challenges facing the Federal workforce and the people, families, and communities they serve.

The work of the PMA will comprise sustained, multi-year, Government-wide efforts to advance each of the three PMA priorities and their supporting strategies. These priorities and strategies set the foundation for a necessary investment in our Government that will require engagement and collaboration from many inside and outside of Government. Through the PMA, cross-agency teams will further seek stakeholder input, define workstreams, set work plans and measures, advance collaborative efforts, and assess and measure progress across Government organizations.

The PMA—grounded in a vision of an equitable, effective, and accountable Government that delivers results for all Americans, and informed by our shared values—will support progress and opportunities beyond the reach of any one Federal agency, given that building back better will require a whole-of-Government effort and transformation in the way Government operates.

Who is Involved?

We are the President’s Management Council (PMC)—the primary Government-wide body that advises the President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on management issues that span agencies, from workforce and technology, to service delivery and financial management, chaired by the OMB Deputy Director for Management. We are Deputy Secretaries and Deputy Administrators from the 24 agencies included in the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-576), as well as the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Administrator of the General Services Administration, and the White House Cabinet Secretary.

Through the PMC, we provide organizational performance and management leadership throughout the Executive Branch, and oversee implementation of whole-of-Government management policies and programs. We will provide overall direction for implementation of the priorities and strategies of this PMA Vision.

The work of the PMA will involve many people across the Government. Each priority area of the PMA will have an interagency goal team focused on implementation. Interagency forums, executive management councils, and communities of practice will provide agencies with opportunities to connect, share, and learn. This will ensure that collaborative, values-driven approaches developed through the PMA are lasting and durable moving forward.

Vision

Values

Governing is values in action. As we work to further develop and implement the PMA, we will do so with the following set of values. These values guide all of our work. They define how we execute. They define why we do this work. Together, they guide us in the right direction as we deliver results for the public and strengthen our Government for today and tomorrow.

Equity:

We commit to advancing equity as a core part of Government management and decision-making processes. We will demonstrate that advancing equity is not a zero-sum game that benefits some communities at the expense of others. Equity benefits all of us, not just some.

Dignity:

We value and respect the inherent dignity of all people. We are a Government that is shaped by, is accountable to, and serves all of its people. The dignity of dedicated Federal employees is crucial to executing on the mission of the Federal Government. In our service, we will meet Americans where they are, and seek the public’s participation and input in our work.

Accountability:

We will consistently act in a manner deserving of the public’s trust, with utmost integrity and stewardship in everything that we do as public servants.

Results:

We will manage the Government to significantly and positively affect the lives of the public. We will work collaboratively across agencies to solve real problems facing America’s families, workers, businesses, and communities—better ensuring that all have a fair shot.

Priority 1

Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce

Ensuring a Government that delivers for all demands a focus on those who keep our Government running and deliver services each day.

The strength of any organization rests on its people. As our country’s largest employer, more than four million Americans work for the Federal Government, both at home and overseas. ^[i] Those serving in Government today are dedicated and talented professional public servants. And yet, the Federal Government is not yet the model employer our Federal workforce both expects and deserves. Below average employee engagement levels make clear that the Federal Government must be unwavering in its support for the Federal workforce.

We will take new steps to attract, hire, involve, develop, support, and empower talent who can help us meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. This includes:

• Continuing to build a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workforce that reflects our nation;
• Ensuring that every Federal employee’s job is a good job with the tools, work environment, and resources they need to succeed, and respected rights to organize, bargain collectively, and have their voices heard through their unions in agency decisions that genuinely matter;
• Leveraging what we have learned through the pandemic about the resiliency and adaptability of our workforce to make the Federal Government a more ideal and forward-thinking employer.

This work will be supported by the infrastructure and data needed to sustain the Federal Government as a model employer, and informed by consistent engagement with our public servants across Government and their unions, as well as external stakeholders.

Our Focus

Strategy 1: Attract and hire the most qualified employees, who reflect the diversity of our country, in the right roles across the Federal Government

Together, agencies must focus on attracting more people to Federal service long-term, while also addressing immediate agency hiring needs to rebuild capacity. We need to marshal all resources and take an "all of the above" approach to support a talent surge, focused on bringing Government resources together to identify top talent challenges and hire the right people in a timely manner.

As the country’s largest employer, the Federal Government has an extensive and complex hiring process, which can hamper efforts to recruit and onboard needed talent. Challenges including long hiring and background vetting times and low hiring manager satisfaction have kept the Federal Government from achieving its goal of being a model employer and being competitive in the labor market. Today, less than 7% of the Federal workforce is under the age of 30 and nearly 28% of Federal employees are eligible to retire in the next 5 years. Given expected retirements and the growing need for new skill sets across agencies, this is a significant risk to our mission effectiveness and the long-term health of Federal agencies.

The gap in Federal employee age range continues to increase^[ii]

Moving forward, we need to:

• Improve competitive hiring by empowering hiring managers to work with agency human resource professionals to develop hiring actions that meet mission needs;
• Adapt Federal hiring processes to meet the talent needs of tomorrow;
• Actively engage candidates, communities, schools, and organizations who have been historically underrepresented in the Federal recruitment and advancement process;
• Transform personnel vetting to better identify risk and support missions and workforce mobility, while mitigating risk.

Strategy 2: Make every Federal job a good job, where all employees are engaged, supported, heard, and empowered, with opportunities to learn, grow, join a union and have an effective voice in their workplaces through their union, and thrive throughout their careers

Federal employees walk through the door deeply committed to public service. As employers, it is our responsibility to continue to cultivate their passion and empower them to advance their missions. While Government-wide employee engagement has increased over the past several years,^[iii] it still is lower than the private-sector average. We know that engagement is important for high performance. Analysis of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey shows a strong positive correlation between the Employee Engagement Index and employee perception of agency mission success. ^[iv] As a mission-based enterprise, the Federal Government must do better.

Employee engagement at most Federal agencies lags the private sector^[v]

Average employee engagement score per Federal agency vs. private sector averages (on a scale of 0-100)

To enhance engagement and Government performance, it is crucial that every Federal job is a good job. Agencies across the Government must strive to reflect the commitment of their workforces by closely examining employee compensation packages, including rates of pay and pay equity, and identifying circumstances and policies to foster high-performance workplaces that represent all of America and create a culture of respect and belonging. These efforts will help agencies retain qualified employees, create a pipeline of qualified leaders, and provide better services to the public.

The Federal Government also must be a model employer with respect to worker organizing, collective bargaining, and labor-management partnership. Agencies should make it as easy as possible for their employees to communicate with union representatives and, if the employees choose, to join or organize a union. The Administration’s philosophy is that Federal employee organizing is a good and productive workplace practice that it should facilitate. Managers and supervisors should remain neutral in all organizing campaigns, but also engage actively with their employees’ unions on matters of consequence in the workplace. Agencies should work with their employees’ unions to establish labor-management partnerships.

Strategy 3: Reimagine and build a roadmap to the future of Federal work informed by lessons from the pandemic and nationwide workforce and workplace trends

The Federal Government has an opportunity to leap forward in terms of how we conduct our work, and we will be redesigning our future together. By utilizing expanded flexibilities in work arrangements, such as expanded telework and alternative work schedules, and increased adoption of technology, such as cloud computing, collaboration tools, and automation, the Government will enhance its ability to recruit and retain top talent, staying competitive with broader trends in how Americans work. Our changing world has proven that innovation is possible in the way Federal employees work and operate, including changing needs and uses for traditional office buildings. We will plan and pilot new approaches together, toward the future of Federal work. This will include developing a new vision for how we use the Federal real estate footprint nationwide across agencies in response to shifts in both where Federal employees work and how they work in person together, to ensure both effective mission delivery and employee health, safety, and wellbeing.

Strategy 4: Build the personnel system and support required to sustain the Federal Government as a model employer able to effectively deliver on a broad range of agency missions

OPM manages the Federal civil service, coordinates recruiting and hiring of new Government employees, works closely with the national Federal employee unions, and manages Federal employee benefits. As our Government faces increasingly complex challenges, the need for Federal leaders, managers, and front-line staff with the right skills in the right jobs has never been greater. To meet this need, OPM will enhance its ability to effectively deliver on its mission to lead Federal human capital management, and serve as a central, strategic leader in Federal human resources. To help agencies deliver on their missions, OPM and OMB also will continue to build out tools to support agency human resource professionals in data-driven strategic workforce planning and decision-making related to employee engagement, inclusion, and organizational performance.

Priority 2

Delivering Excellent, Equitable, and Secure Federal Services and Customer Experience

People are at the center of everything the Government does. In their daily lives as well as in critical moments of need, people rely on Federal services to help support them through disasters, advance their businesses, provide opportunities for their families, safeguard their rights, and aid them in rebuilding their communities. That is why the Federal Government must center its services around those who use them–delivering simple, secure, effective, equitable, and responsive solutions for all who the Government serves.

When individuals and organizations interact with any part of the Federal Government, they want that interaction to work seamlessly.

Yet our current service delivery is not always designed with the public’s needs and priorities in mind. Whether during a pivotal life experience or a routine service interaction, we must deliver excellent customer experience, reduce barriers, and improve understanding of an individual's situation to best help those in need of Government assistance. Honoring the commitment to our nation’s founding principle of a Government “of, by, and for the people” means that Government must serve all of the public—and be held accountable for effectively delivering those services. It also means ensuring coordination across Federal Government service providers, as well as with State, Tribal, territorial, and local governments that play key roles in delivering Federally funded assistance and centering the experience of customers. Together, we aim to substantially improve how individuals and organizations experience and interact with their Government, delivering for them when they need it most.

Our Focus

Strategy 1: Improve the service design, digital products, and customer-experience management of Federal High-Impact Service Providers^[vi] by reducing customer burden, addressing inequities, and streamlining processes

Customer experience is not a new concept to the Federal Government. The Clinton Administration directed agencies to measure the performance of their service to the American public and aimed to establish customer-service standards across Government. Even as there have been areas of progress at many agencies, the fact is that service delivery from Federal service providers has not kept pace with the needs and expectations of those it serves.

We must address these shortcomings head-on and build on progress already underway, with an emphasis on ensuring that we are serving all of our customers equitably. This includes building on progress among Federal High Impact Service Providers—those services that serve the largest percentage of people, conduct the greatest volume of transactions annually, and have an outsized impact on the lives of the individuals they serve. Focusing on these high-impact services will yield capabilities, tools, and practices that will cascade to other Federal programs and services as well, improving our delivery Government-wide.

2020 Customer Satisfaction scores across industries^vii

Strategy 2: Design, build, and manage Government service delivery for key life experiences that cut across Federal agencies

People trying to access Government support and services while experiencing a major event in their lives do not see the process through the lens of an individual agency, but that is the way too many Federal Government services operate today. The result is that Government customers spend too much time filling out duplicative paperwork or navigating multiple interactions spanning multiple agencies just to receive Government services for which they are eligible. When a person experiences a disaster or loses a job, Federal Government services should meet them where they are instead of asking them to navigate Government siloes. By better coordinating service delivery based on the life experience of the customer, instead of around existing funding streams or organizational structures, Government can better serve the public’s needs, improve mission delivery, and advance equitable outcomes for all communities.

Understanding existing barriers to public services is a crucial part of this work. Human-centered design research will drive the management of Federal programs to develop a comprehensive understanding of how individuals interact with Federal services. Through this process, agencies will identify barriers to service delivery and how those barriers create undue burdens on those the Government serves, in particular for underserved communities. These customer insights will help us more quickly identify and address pain points and gaps in accessibility and equity, helping to inform efforts to ensure that the services we provide are well-designed and widely available to people of all abilities. All Americans must be able to easily access the services they need when they need them.

Strategy 3: Identify and prioritize the development of Federal shared products, services, and standards that enable simple, seamless, and secure customer experiences across High Impact Service Providers

How the public interacts with Government programs and benefits influences their level of trust in Government as an institution. The Federal Government touches individuals, families, and business in many areas of their lives, and High Impact Service Providers have similar needs in terms of products and standards. We intend to leverage the scale of common capabilities while designing safe and secure products that better meet what the customer needs. For example, a single login credential or customer account could empower service providers to streamline customer experience; and common customer feedback tools, like platforms for online surveys, could yield business intelligence to support data-driven decisions to improve service delivery.

We will work to improve the customer’s experience on the front end, and also will collaborate across Government to emphasize shared data, secure systems, and seamless interactions among agencies in back-office operations. Where we are sharing data among agencies, we will do so responsibly, in consultation with civil rights groups and other stakeholders, securely, and in a manner that protects privacy. We also will integrate customer experience measures and indicators of responsible data sharing into the Government’s accountability and performance system to regularly track progress.

Priority 3

Managing the Business of Government to Build Back Better

The Federal Government—as an enterprise—influences and reshapes markets, supports key supply chains, drives progress on new technology and solution development, and provides key support into communities throughout the country. This creates an opportunity to leverage Federal systems for managing the business of Government—the goods and services we buy and the financial assistance and resources we provide and oversee—to create and sustain good quality union jobs, address persistent racial and gender wealth and wage gaps, and address other challenges our nation faces. In total, these systems manage roughly $1.5 trillion in annual procurement and financial assistance resources—and sometimes much more in times of crisis—creating the scale needed to both lead by example and catalyze new opportunity.

The public will benefit from a Government that buys together and manages financial assistance together, devoting attention to how these systems deliver results—prosperity, security, and opportunity—for all people in this country. We can harness this collective power and make connections across these systems to strengthen our manufacturing base and support American workers, catalyze new solutions that address the climate crisis and enhance sustainability, and advance equity.

The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken bold action to leverage these systems to take on our most pressing challenges as a country. Each of the specific initiatives launched by the Administration has bold and expansive targets that collectively will require substantial attention and resources from and across agencies to implement.

Accomplishing these collective goals and activities will also require continuous improvements in our procurement, financial assistance, and financial management ecosystems, so that we move forward together to build back better. This shift will require new measures and processes, new training for the Federal workforce, and new tradeoffs that agencies will need to address going forward. Together, across the Federal Government, we will lead by example and spur follow-on action across sectors and across all levels of government, while continuing to be responsive to the changing needs and opportunities on the horizon.

Our Focus

Strategy 1: Foster lasting improvements in the Federal acquisition system to strengthen the U.S. domestic manufacturing base, support American workers, lead by example toward sustainable climate solutions, and create opportunities for underserved communities

The Federal Government procures more than $600 billion in goods and services annually. The Biden-Harris Administration has committed to deploying the Federal acquisition system—how the Federal Government buys those products and services – to drive results that benefit all Americans. For example, Federal agencies are leveraging Federal purchasing power to strengthen our domestic manufacturing base and support American workers. By procuring goods and services that are Made in America, we will strengthen the domestic industrial base, enhance and repair critical supply chains, build resilience against future supply disruptions, and empower America’s workers by expanding opportunities.

The Administration also is leveraging the power of procurement to address the climate crisis. Government acquisition will support the goals of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. We are working toward leading by example by prioritizing clean energy in the Government, such as converting the Federal vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles and upgrading facilities to energy efficient standards.

Federal agencies also are managing Federal acquisition to tackle inequities in our society and throughout our communities. By creating more opportunities for all types of businesses and underserved entrepreneurs to compete for Federal contracts, the Federal marketplace can serve as a platform to create a more equitable economy.

Strategy 2: Build capacity in Federal financial management and through Federal financial assistance to catalyze American industrial strategy, address climate-related risks, and deliver equitable results

The Federal Government provides more than $800 billion in financial assistance and grants annually—and sometimes much more in times of crisis—creating a crucial, collective opportunity to improve management of the Government’s financial resources in a manner consistent with the PMA’s values of equity, dignity, accountability, and results. Already, the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to harnessing how the Government manages and oversees its grantmaking and financial assistance to implement President Biden’s vision for building back better in specific and tangible ways.

Strategic management and oversight of Federal financial resources, including Federal financial assistance, can help build capacity and strengthen American industry, maximizing Federal funding allocated to U.S. products in critical supply chains and incentivizing strong workplace practices—such as good pay, safe workplaces, and freedom for workers to organize, bargain collectively, and have their voices heard—among financial assistance recipients.

In addition, Federal agencies are using financial management systems to track the financial risks that the climate crisis poses to the American economy, and aim to lead by example by appropriately prioritizing Federal investments and conducting prudent fiscal management. Agencies also are working to deliver more equitable results in financial assistance programs, including by centering considerations of equity within program integrity.

System-Wide Capacity Building

Both of the above strategies include ambitious Administration initiatives that have already been launched, each of which require substantial effort and resources from and across agencies to implement.

Accomplishing these goals and activities collectively requires both concerted efforts to appropriately execute each specific activity, while also maintaining continuous improvement in these Government-wide systems, tools, and workforces themselves. Through the PMA, we will be looking across these existing Administration initiatives to ensure that system-wide continuous improvement occurs.

This system-wide focus can include, for example: opportunity and issue spotting, including resolution of conflicts across discrete lines of effort; training and guidance for practitioners within agencies; data-management and evidence-building strategies that advance multiple existing activities; and other capacity-building strategies that build lasting change and, further out, identify opportunities to leverage these management systems to further enhance the Administration’s goals to build back better.

How We Will Get There

The priorities set forth in this PMA Vision are bold, expansive, and require substantial effort and resources from and across agencies to implement.

These priorities rest on the foundation of ongoing improvements in a wide range of essential Federal Government capabilities and systems. The following ongoing lines of interagency effort will support the priorities, strategies, and new workstreams that will advance this PMA Vision:

Further Develop and Support Lasting Interagency Management “Communities of Practice.” We will come together through the PMC as a community of practice to share issues and learnings, explore data, information, and trends inside and outside of Government that affect management and performance initiatives, and manage enterprise-level risks within and across agencies. The agendas of existing interagency executive-level management councils will be better aligned to ensure that collaborative, values-driven approaches are sustainable and embedded in the work of these councils moving forward.

Continue to Enhance Federal Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity as Key Enablers of Mission Delivery. Cybersecurity and IT modernization are critical tools that must be at the foundation of Government management. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how critical IT investments are to supporting mission delivery and the essential work of Government. We will continue to bolster Federal cybersecurity and ensure that secure systems help deliver Government services. To better prepare for our future, we also must identify and address critical skills gaps across the Federal IT and cybersecurity workforce.

Apply Federal Data Management and Data Science Capabilities, Building on More than a Decade of Focus Across the Federal Government. We will continue to strengthen Federal data management practices and infrastructure and enhance data science skills to promote efficient, equitable, and appropriate use of Federal data by Federal agencies and the public. We also will continue to identify, open to the public, and spur engagement with Federal datasets that can fuel American innovation. Taking this work further, we will develop a robust set of actionable information services—data, information, and products—that meet the needs of diverse users and help policymakers drive change grounded in the best available science. We also will advance data practices that support decisions and policymaking grounded in evidence about what works. This includes promoting data sharing and matching. In addition, we will look to expand open, timely, and secure access to administrative Federal datasets that are disaggregated by demographic and other relevant factors to better understand the distribution and impact of Federal programs and services.

Nurture a Culture of Evidence-Based Policymaking and Decision-Making in Federal Agencies. Evidence-based policymaking is crucial to providing effective Government services. Each agency will prioritize building evidence and implementing its own Learning Agenda, while coordinating with other agencies. To support this, we will release a PMA Learning Agenda to identify cross-cutting questions about the management of the Federal Government that support the PMA priorities, informed by agency Learning Agendas and other sources. The first such effort for the Executive Branch, the Government-wide PMA Learning Agenda will address critical learning gaps and encourage research within, beyond, and in partnership with the Federal Government.

Leverage the Federal Performance Management Framework to Plan and Measure Progress. In early 2022, OMB will deploy Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goals to establish cross-cutting targets that cover a limited number of mission and management areas where such Government-wide direction would be helpful to drive collective action on these cross-agency issues. Agencies are also creating four-year strategic plans that define mission success as well as two-year Agency Priority Goals (APGs) reflecting the Administration’s top implementation priorities.

All progress toward the priorities and strategies laid out in this PMA Vision will be reported on Performance.gov, in addition to agency strategic plans and APGs.

Through this simple process of being clear about our goals, sharing with the public our plans to get there, seeking input on our paths forward, and then being transparent about our results, we aim to continue building trust with the American public.

To receive information about these efforts, please sign up for our newsletter by visiting Performance.gov, scrolling to the bottom of the page, and clicking “Subscribe to Performance.gov Updates.”

What’s Next

This is just the beginning of our journey. To succeed, we are committed to directly engaging with people and communities the PMA will serve and those in the Federal Government who will do the work to realize the vision of the PMA. That means focusing on engagement with both the Federal workforce and those we serve, seeking their input to inform our work to advance the PMA priorities.

In the coming months, we will translate these priorities and strategies into specific targets with designated leaders who will be accountable for delivery and driving towards measurable outcomes.

Broad engagement—across agencies, through interagency teams, and with Federal employees, their unions, Congress, the oversight community, and other stakeholders—will inform work plans and measures for each of the strategies within the PMA’s three priorities. Information about these plans and progress implementation will be posted on Performance.gov. Additional next steps to advance the President’s Management Agenda will be released in early 2022.

This is a multi-year effort, and work on these priorities may evolve to reflect the changing needs of those we serve. We will continue to seek input from a broad array of stakeholders as we work toward an effective, equitable, and accountable Government that delivers results for all.

Our Commitment

As leaders, we will reinvest in the institution of Government in order to deliver results for all Americans.

As members of the President’s Management Council, we are senior officials from Federal agencies tasked with solving management issues both within our agencies and Government-wide. Together, we advise the President on Government-wide management issues and serve as the governing body for the development and execution of the PMA. Our work, and the work of the PMA, weaves together the many threads and successes of the Government as a whole.

Together we will work to strengthen and empower our workforce, improve the customer experience, and ensure we are managing the business of Government to build back better.

To accomplish these goals, we will:

• Dedicate time, energy, people, and resources to three priority areas and to the other efforts that support the Biden-Harris Management Agenda
• Ensure those working on these efforts have ample support to succeed
• Support our colleagues in their efforts to carry out this work in their respective agencies

In all our discussions that have informed this PMA Vision, one thing has always been abundantly clear: the work we do is done by, for, and with the American people and all who we serve.

We can make every effort to improve our internal processes or modernize technology, but ultimately it is people—our Federal employees and the people they serve—who make the work of this great nation possible. We pledge to work alongside them as our teammates on behalf of the American people to make this vision a reality.

We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this process, which will continue to transform the Government and deliver results for all.

Sincerely,

The President’s Management Council

Jason Miller, Deputy Director for Management (PMC Chair)
Office of Management and Budget

Evan Ryan, White House Cabinet Secretary

Paloma Adams-Allen, Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources
Agency for International Development

Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary
Department of the Treasury

Kiran Ahuja, Director
Office of Personnel Management

Tommy Beaudreau, Deputy Secretary
Department of the Interior

Jewel Bronaugh, Deputy Secretary
Department of Agriculture

Robin Carnahan, Administrator
General Services Administration

Daniel Dorman, Executive Director for Operations
Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Antwaun Griffin, Chief of Staff
Small Business Administration

Don Graves, Deputy Secretary
Department of Commerce

Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary
Department of Defense

Karen Marrongelle, Chief Operating Officer
National Science Foundation

Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner
Social Security Administration

Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary
Department of Education

Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency

Brian McKeon, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources
Department of State

Pamela Melroy, Deputy Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lisa Monaco, Deputy Attorney General
Department of Justice

Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services

Donald Remy, Deputy Secretary
Department of Veterans Afairs

Julie Su, Deputy Secretary
Department of Labor

John Tien, Deputy Secretary
Department of Homeland Security

Adrianne Todman, Deputy Secretary
Department of Housing and Urban Development

Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary
Department of Transportation

David Turk, Deputy Secretary
Department of Energy