Financial reporting requirements for the federal government: Evaluating performance management reporting

The current Administration's stringent transparency and accountability requirements have put unprecedented demands on performance management reporting, but voluminous information impedes easily accessing expenditures and their impact. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not and to what degree federal chief financial officer (CFO) agencies' performance management reporting is accessible and consistent and to determine the effectiveness of reporting requirements. This research identified relevant and consistent data on public federal agency websites to develop an indicator of comparative agency performance. The balanced scorecard methodology, an accessibility index and variable report criteria, guided the research for the study. The research questions measured the accessibility, consistency, and comprehensiveness of performance management reporting by 24 CFO agencies through the application of a 5-point rubric assessment tool based on the Office of Management and Budget circular A-136 requirements. Assessment scores of the agencies were analyzed via analyses of descriptive statistics and bivariate regression to evaluate comparative agency performance relative to specific performance benchmarks. Results indicated that CFO performance management reporting is not easily accessible, is inconsistent, and is not comprehensive in spite of reporting requirements. Three senior level executive participants served as the triangulating body to confirm that the accessibility index and variable report criteria provided a framework for organizing performance management information. Implementing the framework, a viable next step for federal performance management, would give citizens access to consistent performance management reporting and support the Administration's goals for transparency and accountability.