[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8616-8617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-4225]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Request for Comments on Revised Departmental Strategic Plan for 
FY 2003-2008

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Request for comments on a revised Departmental Strategic Plan 
for FY 2003-2008.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is seeking public comment 
on its draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2003-2008.

DATES: Comments should be provided no later than April 25, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments can be provided by: E-mail: [email protected].
    Fax: (202) 208-2619.
    Mail: U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, 
Office of Planning and Performance Management, Attention: Strategic 
Plan Coordinator, 1849 C Street NW., Mail Stop 5258, Washington, DC 
20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LeRon Bielak (202) 208-1818.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Government Performance and Results Act 
of 1993 (GPRA) requires periodic updating of agency strategic plans. 
The first DOI GPRA strategic plan was published in 1997. A subsequent 
revision was produced in 2000. The next revision must be published no 
later than September 30, 2003.
    DOI began its revision process in the fall of 2001 to position the 
strategic

[[Page 8617]]

process and development of goals and measures ahead of the FY 2004 
budget formulation cycle. Instead of requesting public comment for the 
first time after a new draft plan had been created, DOI chose to begin 
the process with internal and external focus group sessions in a 
``clean slate'' approach. These sessions were held in Washington, D.C.; 
Denver, Colorado; and Albuquerque, New Mexico between December 2001 and 
February 2002. We integrated the information to produce the first plan 
drafts. Subsequently the plan has been subjected to additional critical 
review and evaluation through all levels of the Department. At this 
point, DOI wants to return our product to our external stakeholders and 
customers for review.
    DOI has taken a major departure from its past approaches to 
strategic planning. Previously, Interior produced a set of ten GPRA 
strategic plans--an overview document and nine bureau or office plans. 
While the overview attempted to draw attention to areas of commonality 
among bureaus, Interior was still perceived as a ``holding company'' 
and concern lingered about the effectiveness of an agency functioning 
in a holding company fashion.
    The DOI draft strategic plan will stand as the GPRA document for 
the entire agency. Commonality of mission function and desired results 
is given much greater weight than in previous plans. The Department has 
subscribed to the ``logic model'' approach of strategic planning in 
which results (end outcomes) are clearly identified and represent the 
first step in the plan development process. Measures are applied to end 
outcomes to provide a means of gauging success in achieving the desired 
results. Results are measured both long term and on an annualized 
basis. Supporting strategic (or intermediate outcomes) have also been 
established and are accompanied by specific performance measures. 
Bureau operating plans must be tied to both the intermediate and end 
outcome levels of the Departmental Plan.
    This overall approach is aimed at greater integration of purpose 
and function across the Department and at achieving superior 
performance results. The Departmental strategic plan cannot include 
goals and measures for every discrete aspect of every program, but 
outcomes are written to encompass all of the programs identified in the 
Department's budget accounts. Greater specificity for discrete elements 
will be found in bureau level annual or long-term operating plans or in 
specific field planning documents, as appropriate.
    Interior looks forward to your comments regarding our planning 
approach and draft strategic plan. We are asking that comments be 
submitted within 60 days of publication of this notice. The text of the 
draft plan is available in a ``pdf'' downloadable format through the 
DOI Internet Web site: http://www.doi.gov/about.html. For those who may 
not have internet access, a hard copy can be requested from the contact 
points listed in the ADDRESSES section.

    Dated: February 14, 2003.
P. Lynn Scarlett,
Assistant Secretary--Policy, Management and Budget.
[FR Doc. 03-4225 Filed 2-21-03; 8:45 am]
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