The President’s Management Agenda (PMA), announced in August 2001, was launched to address what the President has called “the most apparent deficiencies where the opportunity to improve is the greatest.” The PMA scorecard uses a traffic light scoring system of “red,” “yellow,” and “green,” in which OMB rates Federal agencies on their efforts to improve in five government-wide areas, including Improving Financial Performance. Critical success factors under this government-wide PMA initiative include: obtaining an unqualified audit opinion, eliminating material weaknesses and Antideficiency Act violations, meeting financial reporting deadlines, and using financial data to support daily and long-term management decisions.

In February 2004, a new program initiative was added to the PMA. This new Federal Real Property Asset Management initiative applies to the largest Federal landholding agencies, which will be given a “score” on the status and progress of their real property management improvement efforts on the quarterly PMA scorecard.