The Department of Energy (DOE) and its semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) lack program management policies that address federal internal control standards for managers, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report released Monday.
“A policy incorporating key internal control standards and leading program management practices may help ensure that DOE and NNSA program offices are better able to achieve their missions, goals, and objectives,” the report says.
DOE has not established a program management policy outlining standards such as delegation of authority or development of program plans, the GAO found, while NNSA canceled its program management policy in 2013 and did not establish a replacement. The GAO also found that DOE and the NNSA have not established training programs for program managers, which would be intended to help those managers develop competencies for their roles and track training requirements for managers’ positions.
The report said NNSA has other agency-wide policies on work authorization and contractor oversight – although these policies do not necessarily address all aspects of program management – and that of the 15 NNSA program managers the GAO interviewed, only five said they had received program management-related training. “As a result, NNSA may have difficulty developing and maintaining a cadre of professional, effective, and capable program managers,” GAO said.
As an example of the benefits of a policy of internal control standards and program management practices, the report pointed to a 2016 GAO finding that the NNSA had not clearly identified whether a planned plutonium analysis facility would meet mission needs for other programs at the agency and DOE. “NNSA might have been better able to clarify this project’s mission needs if DOE and NNSA had been operating under a DOE-wide program management policy incorporating leading practices,” the GAO said. “DOE and NNSA officials said that they recognize the importance of establishing a program management policy, but DOE has not taken steps to do so.”
The GAO recommended that the secretary of energy establish a program management policy that assigns responsibilities and expectations of competence to program managers and addresses program management practices, including the development of program plans. The report noted DOE did not offer comments on GAO’s draft report, and that the NNSA provided technical comments that were incorporated in the final document.
