Client Story

Addressing TSA’s GAO-identified Deficiencies in Strategic Planning, Implementation, and Performance Management.

PERFORMANCE

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that helps Congress assess the effectiveness of federal programs. It reviews policies and operations across government agencies and issues recommendations for improvement.

Since 2018, multiple GAO evaluations of TSA programs and policies concluded that the agency had not sufficiently adopted or implemented federal standards and best practices in strategic planning, performance management, and program evaluation—as outlined in the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act).

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The Strategic Driver and Agency Objective

To align TSA programs with performance measures and assess their delivery of results to stakeholders by conducting an annual strategic review—a core requirement of GPRAMA. A strategic review evaluates a program’s execution and impact and must cite credible data sources to support its conclusions.

The Activities Kevin Performed:

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  • Drafted and disseminated a Request for Information (RFI) to program offices

  • Collected and consolidated responses

  • Collaborated with subject matter experts to coordinate assessments

  • Evaluated the overall progress and effectiveness of each program

  • Gathered supporting evidence to substantiate findings

The Products Kevin Delivered:

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  • Co-authored the Aviation Screening Operations and the Other Operations and Enforcement Strategic Reviews.

The Ultimate Outcome

TSA’s annual strategic reviews are submitted to the DHS Chief Financial Officer’s Performance Analysis and Evaluation Branch and inform the development of the Congressional Budget Justification. This justification is submitted by executive branch agencies to Congress in support of their annual budget requests. The strategic reviews provide Congress with the data and insights needed to evaluate TSA’s performance and make informed funding decisions for each fiscal year.