Caird E. Rexroad, Jr.

Wilbert H. Blackburn

ARS is a matrix organization comprised of National Program Staff who establish national research program direction and Line Management responsible for geographic area implementation coordinated by the strategic plan and national

programs National program staff has primary responsibility for:

national programs research relevance strategic planning, and agency budget

Line Management has primary responsibility for: implementation of relevant high quality research

programs, performance accountability, and capacity building

ARS Locations

3

Animal Production Natural Resources Crop Production Human Nutrition

•Water Quality & Management

•Soil & Air Resource Management

•Rangeland, Pasture & Forages

•Manure & Byproduct Utilization

•Integrated Agricultural Systems

•Bioenergy & Energy Alternatives

•Plant, Microbial & Insect Germplasm Conservation & Development

•Plant Biological & Molecular Processes

•Plant Diseases

•Crop Protection & Quarantine

•Crop Production

•Methyl Bromide Alternatives

•Food Animal Production

•Animal Health

•Arthropod Pests of Animals and Humans

•Aquaculture

•Human Nutrition

•Food Safety (animal & plant products)

•New Uses, Quality & Marketability of Plant & Animal Products

Dr. DavidKlurfeld,

Acting

.

Program Planning & Priority Setting

Scientific Merit Peer Review

Program Assessment

Project Implementation

Program Coordination

QualityQuality

National Program Developed(including NP Strategic Plan and Action Plan)

Workshop with Customers and Scientists

Program planning(including centralized project direction and resource allocation)

Project planning(including Project Plan Outline and Project Plan)

Scientific peer review for project quality (OSQR)

Research initiated

Research project and personnel performance monitored annually

National Program performance monitored annually

Retrospective national program review by external customer panel

Retrospective Assessment Report prepared for and provided to customers

ImpactImpact

RelevanceRelevance

PerformancePerformance

Increasingly, political leaders and society as a whole are becoming more results and accountability oriented The need for accountability is dictated

by the Congress, and the Administration

Focuses attention on customer needs & achieving desired outcomes & results, not just effort (e.g., studies, data collection)

Agency National Programs Projects Locations/Research Units People

Government Performance & Results Act Government Performance & Results Act (GPRA)(GPRA)

Annual Budget Process Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)

Government Performance & Results Act-1993Government Performance & Results Act-1993

Changed ARS From an Output to an Outcome Organization

The Commitment to QualityQuality was Institutionalized

Research Excellence Meeting Customer / Stakeholder Expectations Deliver Products (information, knowledge

& technology) That Meet Customer / Stakeholder Expectations

ARS reports to Congress selected research accomplishments, providing evidence of the performance of the research programs

Receive specific congressional inquires on the performance (status) of selected research projects

Supports the Presidents Management Agenda & Government Performance & Results Act (GPRA) Strengthens & reinforces GPRA performance

reporting Oversight is provided by OMB

Used as an accountability tool to drive program improvement Identifies a program’s strengths & weaknesses Drives funding and management decisions Allows programs to show improvements over time,

and comparisons between similar programs

Annual Reports Retrospective Review

Office of Scientific Quality Review (OSQR) A prospective peer-review of proposed

research projects Panel scores: no, minor, moderate, or

major revision or not feasible. “certified” projects must receive a score

of moderate revision or better Annual Report

Provides data for GPRA, Budget & PART

On-site review Conducted by a panel of scientists from

outside ARS Focused on the Unit’s research

performance, quality, capacity, and leadership

Conducted every 5 years prior to OSQR review

Supplements OSQR’s prospective assessment by a retrospective review

Customer Focus Group Individuals of influence, early implementers of

technology and Local, State, or National leaders Interface with the research staff to identify

• Research needs• Perpetuate innovative ideas• Ensures research plans are implemented &

outcomes are achieved• Organize activities that increase the adoption and

visibility of the research Ensure that ARS research has a positive impact

on the lives of the agriculture community

Performance Appraisal System Aligns project objectives to:

• National Program Action Plans• Agency’s and Department’s Strategic Plans

Publish in refereed peer reviewed journals

Research Position Evaluation System (RPES) “impact-of-the-person-in-the-job” concept Peer panel review every 3 years – grade 12;

every 4 years grade 13; every 5 years grade 14 & 15

Scientists qualifications, scientific contributions & impact have the greatest influence

Agency GPRA GPRA - annual performance measures

(white house, OMB & congressional oversight) Budget - research accomplishments &

congressional inquires (OMB & congressional oversight)

PART (White House & OMB oversight)

National Programs Annual Reports (White House &

congressional oversight) Retrospective Assessment (peer review)

Research Projects OSQR (peer review, OMB & congressional oversight)

Research Units On-Site Review (peer review)

Customer Focus Groups (research needs, customer accountability)

People Performance Appraisal System

• Publish in Refereed Journals (peer review)

RPES (peer review)