International Development and Programs (Development Work) - International Development and Programs (Development Work)

According to guidance issued by the Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance for preparing the FY 2009 PPR, missions were required to provide performance information against targets for indicators, as well as a narrative description of the program status.

ADS 203.3.2.1 states that one of the principal steps in performance management is communicating results achieved or not achieved, to advance organizational learning and demonstrate the Agency’s contribution to achieving the overall U.S. Government foreign assistance goal.

The performance information reported in the annual PPR is not only one of the ways USAID communicates results, but it also helps meet statutory requirements and management needs in compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

In addition, because of the escalation of interest related to performance and performance management by the administration, Congress and public groups the performance information helps to:

• Define best practices and lessons learned from field activities;
• Inform current and out?year budget decisions;
• Respond to congressional and public inquiries;
• Construct required special reports;
• Prepare speeches and testimonies for State and USAID principals;
• Aggregate foreign assistance performance for State and USAID principals.

For that reason, it is important that missions comply with ADS 203.3.5.1, which states that data should be sufficiently precise to present a fair picture of performance and enable management decision-making at the appropriate levels.

General Recommendations

• Adjust future performance plans and report to correct inaccuracies in any reported results in the Fiscal Year Performance Plan and Report.

Source: AUDIT REPORT NO. 1-514-11-002-P  JANUARY 26, 2011

The recommendations are derived from audit reports of the Office of the Inspector General. The source refers to the audit report, which is available on this site as part of the Audit Database Project: an educational tool for compliance with USAID regulations.  Please see the disclaimer of this site before using recommendations.