PMA Milestones Potentially Affected by Partial Shutdown

As the ripple effects from the current government shutdown continue, another area that will almost certainly be impacted by this unprecedented event is the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). Released last spring, the PMA identified key areas to improve overall government efficiency, delivery and mission. These areas include IT modernization, revolutionizing the government workforce, and data management and accountability. For each of these key drivers for transformation, the PMA established Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) goals, led by interagency teams and tracked quarterly for progress. Many of these teams are comprised of agencies affected by the shutdown which include: OMB, DHS, GSA, Commerce and USDA.

A bird’s eye view can already detect some influence the partial shutdown will have on PMA objectives. Under IT modernization, the PMA highlights the MGT Act and TMF as influencers in government technology reformations. However, of the three awards made under the TMF, two of those agencies (HUD and USDA) are affected by a lapse in appropriations, indicating a likely stall in the implementation of those awarded modernization initiatives due to lack of personnel.

Digging a bit deeper into other potential impacts of the partial shutdown on PMA milestones, I searched through Performance.gov. The website provides the latest updates, progress and goals made under each key driver and CAP goal.

I found that the partial shutdown has already affected a few due dates under initiatives of the PMA. In order to enhance cloud computing solutions throughout the government, OMB, under the purview of the PMA, is updating the Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) policy. OMB issued a request for public comment for the update on December 18, 2018, with responses due 30 days thereafter. However, OMB extended the deadline for comments indefinitely “due to the partial lapse in appropriations,” pushing out the finalized version of this critical update. Likewise, applications due for the recently launched Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy, to help mobilize and educate federal workers in cybersecurity skillsets, was left open by Federal CIO, Suzette Kent, due current events. The extension for applications will likely impact the training program’s schedule, which was originally set to begin in March 2019.   

Based on other milestones listed throughout Q4 updates under Performance.gov, the following are PMA initiatives that will likely be impacted by shutdown circumstances:

• Finalization of the Cloud Smart Strategy document, set for Q2 FY2019
• An updated DCOI Policy, set for Q2 FY 2019
• Finalized Identity Management Policy, set for Q2 FY 2019
• The Federal Data Strategy – a finalized strategy and a draft of the first year action plan are due January 2019. Nothing has been posted as of the date of this publication.
• Several Q2 FY 2019 dates agencies must take action on to improve workforce in:
  • Improving Employee Performance Management and Engagement
  • Reskilling and Redeploying Human Capital Resources
  • Continuous learning
  • Simple and Strategic Hiring

Note that the above are my personal assumptions. Besides the few due dates that have been extended, OMB has not confirmed any impacts to PMA strategies yet. Concerning the topic, in a correspondence with Federal News Network, a senior administration official on January 18th stated that the partial lapse in funding may or may not have an impact on PMA, “The President’s Management Agenda quarterly goals, such as the Federal Data Strategy, are funded through multiple vehicles, so some goals may be unaffected by the lapse while others may in fact be affected.”

I guess at this point, only time will tell just how much the partial shutdown will ultimately affect initiatives under the PMA.