Program Managers and Program Examiners on the PART

Program managers from the Defense Department and Environmental Protection Agency and program examiners from OMB and the Department of Health and Human Services came together to discuss the benefits and challenges posed by the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). The PART is a framework for assessing program performance which provides a consistent approach for developing program goals, strategies, and budget.

The essence of the PART is the performance measures – determining a program’s desired outcomes and how to measure them. But the PART is not standardized – not nearly much as it may appear – because it is employed in very different contexts, from evaluating outcomes of radiation prevention to R&D. This creates a number of challenges:

- Existence and availability of external, independent reviews of programs.
- Measuring results for prevention or research programs. How do you measure readiness or preparedness?
- Finding a comparable program for reference and comparison. When you are PARTed, it is worthwhile to see what other programs have submitted and how you relate. But the EPA’s indoor environments program found it difficult to find a comparable program.

Here are some observations on the relationship between the OMB program examiner and program manager:

- The OMB examiner is not out to get you – OMB is trying to help program managers improve their program and budget decisions, and become better managers.
- Face-to-face interaction is critical to success – it is always better than email.
- There is an automated system for the PART, but it doesn’t substitute for the dialogue.
- A strong relationship between OMB Program Examiner, the Program Manager, and your agency leaders (the DoD Comptroller in the case of the DoD energy conservation program) can be a tremendous asset for the program. It provides an internal agency advocate at the top of the organization, and an outside champion at OMB to help work with Congress, etc. But do not take these relationships for granted.