“Good behavior can get a con out of prison. Good behavior can also get your program off the Government Accountability Office’s never-ending list of high-risk federal programs. In fact, the GAO just issued guidance on how get off the list. For highlights, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the GAO’s director of strategic issues, Michelle Sager…”
“Tom Temin: Got it. So you took the 12 areas that had made it off of the list, and made a composite on the best practices that they exhibited. And that constitutes this latest, I guess you could call it advice issued from GAO?
Michelle Sager: So these 12 areas are illustrative examples understanding that if you’re an agency official, and you’re trying to determine what it is that you need to do, these 12 examples that we selected were areas that had been removed from the list as well as areas that had narrowed in scope. And it also included some areas that have been on the list since it was established in 1990, but have shown significant progress…”
“Tom Temin: Getting back to the most recent report here, then, on how to get off the list. Basically, we’ll call it that handbook, if you will, who should read it?
Michelle Sager: Of course, we always think that these reports are beneficial to everyone, but certainly agency officials who are thinking about their own programs and their own strategies. OMB has been working with us as we’re working with agencies. But of course, most importantly, we are responding to congressional interest in what it takes to show progress on the High Risk List and also doing some myth busting. I think sometimes, there’s a perception that once an area is on the list, it remains on the list in perpetuity. And in fact, there are these demonstrated success stories where agencies have taken actions, have worked with OMB, have worked with Congress, and they’ve shown tremendous progress for the benefit of the general public…” Read the full interview here.
Source: What does it take for agencies to get off GAO’s High Risk List? – By Tom Temin, March 23, 2022. Federal News Network.
