United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-04-28 monographic deposited born digital 84 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-577 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577 P0b002ee18039eac8 f:d05577 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577 GAO-05-577 Agency evaluation Continuity of operations Continuity of operations plan Emergency preparedness Federal agencies Federal Emergency Management Agency Homeland security Mission essential operations National preparedness Performance measures Strategic planning Other Written Product A22839 To ensure that essential government services are available in emergencies, federal agencies are required to develop continuity of operations plans. According to guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for providing guidance for and assessing agency continuity plan, a key element of a viable capability is the proper identification of essential functions. GAO previously reported on agency continuity plan compliance, and determined that a number of agencies and their components did not have continuity plans in place on October 1, 2002, and those that were in place did not generally comply with FEMA's guidance. GAO was asked to determine, among other things, to what extent (1) major federal agencies used sound practices to identify and validate their essential functions and (2) agencies had made progress since 2002 in improving compliance with FEMA guidance. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577.pdf GAO-05-577 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-577 Other Written Product GAO-05-577; Continuity of Operations: Agency Plans Have Improved, but Better Oversight Could Assist Agencies in Preparing for Emergencies; Agency evaluation Continuity of operations Continuity of operations plan Emergency preparedness Federal agencies Federal Emergency Management Agency Homeland security Mission essential operations National preparedness Performance measures Strategic planning