Methodology

Methodology

In May, we brought together a group of approximately 54 individual
stakeholders for a Future Search Conference. This two-day event examined
federal financial management in the past, present, and future. The
attendees consisted of chief financial officers, deputy chief financial
officers, assistant inspector generals, line managers, staff members of
the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and House Government
Operations Committee, along with representatives from Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), General Accounting Office, state and local
government, the private sector, and academia.  This group helped us to
begin developing our issues for the National Performance Review (NPR).
Later in the NPR process, the group reconvened for follow-up sessions to
review NPR draft papers and address changes needed in the federal
financial community's culture.

At the direction of the Vice President, we held additional special
decisionmaking sessions for two of our issues: (1) Clarify the Financial
Management Roles Between OMB and Treasury and (2) Manage Fixed Assets in
the Long Term. A mini-conference was held to clarify the OMB and
Treasury roles for financial policies and procedures.  Selected
individuals from OMB, Treasury, and several other agencies were brought
together to resolve this issue. The second issue was resolved by
multiple working sessions, which were held with representatives from
OMB, General Services Administration, and our team to address the ways
in which the government budgets and accounts for fixed assets.

We sought and obtained the views of the private sector. In addition to
representatives from the Private Sector Council and the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants attending our future search
conference, the Financial Executives Institute (FEI) held two roundtable
discussions about federal financial management. The discussions provided
the NPR with the viewpoints and concerns of private sector financial
managers.

Our outreach efforts also included presentations to the Association of
Government Accountants, the Federal Executive Institute Alumni
Association, the Federal Financial Managers Council, and meetings with
many federal managers and executives. Individuals at the conferences
were provided with fax sheets to report financial management problems
and solutions and success and horror stories to us. We received over 85
replies.