OC Strategic Plan for 2001

CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION.. 1

KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS. 3

COMMUNICATIONS MISSION.. 4

COMMUNICATIONS GOAL. 4

OBJECTIVE: 4

Strategies: 4

Partnerships and Coordination: 5

Performance Measures: 5

LINKAGE OF GOAL TO ANNUAL COMMUNICATIONS PERFORMANCE PLAN.. 5

RESOURCES NEEDED.. 6

PROGRAM EVALUATION.. 8

ROLE OF EXTERNAL ENTITIES. 8

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The Office of Communications (OC) coordinates communications with the American public about USDA programs, functions, and initiatives; disseminates both general and technical information to USDA customers and constituency groups who depend on the Department=s services for their livelihood and/or their personal well-being; functions as a central point of contact for the Department=s diverse constituencies; and provides leadership for internal communications within the Department to its employees.

 

OC organization consists of a Communications Coordination & Review Center; Public & Media Outreach Center; Video, Teleconference & Radio (VTR) Center; Design Center; Photography Center; Printing Center--plus a press secretary=s staff, speech writing staff, and administrative staff.  OC has a staff of 118, all located at USDA=s headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Of the total staff, 90 positions are funded through the appropriations process and 28 positions are funded through the Department=s Working Capital Fund (all in the VTR and Design Centers).  OC's FY 1999 budget included $8.138 million of appropriated funds and $4.877 million from the Working Capital Fund for work performed by the VTR and Design Centers.

 

OC is the USDA unit which leads and coordinates the accomplishment of USDA's original legislative mandate.  When Congress wrote the law establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1862, it said the new USDA=s Ageneral designs and duties shall be to acquire and to diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense of that word . . . @ (U.S. Code Sec. 2201).

 

The Office of Communications has two primary communications functions, one external and the other internal.  With respect to external communications, OC coordinates and helps produce the products and services that represent a crucial link in all phases of program delivery.  In the developmental stage of programs, OC offers a link to the Department=s constituent groups by which the Secretary and agencies receive feedback on proposals, suggestions for improvement, and an assessment of a program=s viability.  In the implementation stage, OC creates/coordinates production of the products that are necessary for successful implementation of the program.  OC also provides centralized support services such as video production, teleconferencing, design, and publications review/clearance that support program delivery at all stages of program delivery. 

 

No matter how excellent USDA=s programs, they will not benefit the people unless the public knows about them, their benefits, and the means to take advantage of them.  Knowledge by the general public (and specific publics, including USDA employees) about USDA initiatives, policies, and programs is essential to effective customer service and efficient program delivery,


and effective communication should result in more citizens--especially those in underserved communities and geographic areas--availing themselves of USDA services and information that will help them in their everyday lives.  OC supports the Department in achieving this goal by  coordinating and assisting in the creation of communications efforts, and of high-quality, low-cost communications products and services.

 

This strategic plan represents a departure from the first strategic plan.  Based on the experience of the last three years, OC has refined its mission and goal from those previously developed for its 1997 strategic plan.  The revised mission and goal reflect a greater understanding of the strategic planning process as it relates to support offices, as well as to refinements in the Department=s overall strategic plan.  Specifically, this strategic plan focuses on the fact that the Office of Communications (OC) is a support agency, and as such, an evaluation of its performance does not rely on the quantifying of communications products but, rather, on  an assessment of OC=s capacity to provide the services required by those entities it serves. 

 

It is not logical for a support entity such as OC to propose that it will produce more press releases each year or more video products, because the needs of the Department and its agencies to communicate with the public are ever-changing; they depend on such unpredictable variables as weather, plant and animal disease, health and safety issues, just as the types and timing of internal communications for USDA employees are influenced by legislation, organizational issues, and other matters that are not easy to predict.  However, in the face of this unpredictability, it is OC=s responsibility to be able to provide the maximum support possible to the Department, regardless of the circumstances, whether that means being able to produce 100 or 1,000 press releases, coordinate 2 or 200 press conferences, hold 3 or 300 meetings with constituent groups, or produce 4 or 400 videos or publications.   OC=s focus then is on a continual evaluation of whether or not it has the resources and technology necessary to meet the potential demands for support that may be made to create/coordinate communications products and services for the Secretary and agencies.

 

 

KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS

 

Two key external factors affect the Office of Communications= ability to accomplish its mission.  The first is the public=s acceptance of the Internet.  The public now routinely expects that communications products will be available on the Internet and that the Internet will be one of the media outlets used by the Department to disseminate information to the public and constituency groups.  This demand for information to be delivered  through newer, faster means of communications will allow OC to deliver USDA information more efficiently and effectively to either broader or more selective audiences.  However, meeting this demand requires a significant upgrade in OC=s technological capability.

 

The requirement for new technology leads directly to the second key factor that could significantly affect OC=s goal, and that is Congressional action on USDA=s (and OC=s) budget.  Reductions in the budget will require a reevaluation of information programs and force choices to be made in reducing or reorienting OC's communications goal and objective.


 

COMMUNICATIONS MISSION

 

Provide leadership, coordination, expertise, resources, and counsel for the development of consistent and timely communications strategies, products, and services that describe USDA initiatives, programs, and functions, so that the widest scope of Americans have information that is helpful to their health and economic well-being.

 

 

COMMUNICATIONS GOAL

 

To provide maximum support to the Department in the development of its programs and in creating awareness among the American public about USDA's major initiatives and services.

 

Increased knowledge among the general public (and specific publics, including USDA employees) about USDA initiatives, policies, and programs should result in more citizens--especially those in underserved communities and geographic areas--availing themselves of USDA services and information that will help them in their everyday lives.

 

OBJECTIVE:

  To provide the resources, guidance, and coordination in support of the communications efforts of the Department and its agencies, necessary for the Department to develop programs and create a greater awareness among the American public about USDA's major  initiatives and services.

 

Strategies:

Upgrade OC information technology infrastructure to support electronic information dissemination to the public, including, but not limited to, digitized textual information, digitized photographs, other visuals, video, and audio for Internet access; as well as the electronic delivery of USDA news and information to the news media, constituent groups, and other publics.  Use audio and video teleconferences, as well as public meetings, to communicate with representatives of minority and other underserved groups who should be served by USDA programs and services.  Provide centralized operations for design and production, review/clearance, and distribution of messages and information (video, print, and broadcast) to USDA=s primary constituencies and the general public to ensure that they get understandable and relevant information about USDA programs and services.  After defining USDA audiences and best communications methods for reaching each of them, coordinate the development of communications plans for all USDA cross-cutting or interagency initiatives showing each mission=s and/or agency=s information role.

 


Partnerships and Coordination:

This objective will be coordinated with USDA agency communications staffs, USDA's Office of Civil Rights and its civil rights outreach staff, USDA's Office of Chief Information Officer, Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act officers, State agricultural and other cooperative agency communications officers, land-grant university information staffs, constituency organizations, professional communications organizations (such as the Agricultural Communicators in Education), and other associations with an interest in USDA information and services.

 

Performance Measures:

Ongoing through FY 2005, obsolete information technology equipment and software will be replaced annually in order to maintain efficient delivery of information in text, audio, and visual formats.  All major policy/program decisions, especially on cross-cutting issues, will include communications elements, and will  include written communication plans prior to the announcement of every cross-mission-area initiative or program priority as well as prior to the launch of single mission or program priorities and initiatives.  Most printed and electronic public information products for national dissemination will be reviewed and cleared by OC.  Random surveys of selected communications initiatives will show that intended audience received the material or information distributed.

 

 

LINKAGE OF GOAL TO ANNUAL COMMUNICATIONS PERFORMANCE PLAN

 

OC=s annual performance plans, prepared each fiscal year to accompany OC=s budget request, provide a direct link between outcomes, strategic approaches, and significant actions outlined in this strategic plan.  The annual performance plans outline an annual increment of the actions called for in the strategic plan in order to achieve the general communications goal.

 

These performance plans are similar to those of program agencies.  However, instead of detailing the actions necessary to evaluate the performance of a specific program, OC=s performance plans are unique in that they will focus on two areas: the plans detail the actions necessary to evaluate whether or not OC has the capacity to meet the potential demands for support that may be made to create/coordinate communications products and services for the Secretary and agencies; and the plans detail the actions necessary to upgrade and maintain that capacity.  As a result, unlike an agency with large, stable programs, OC=s performance elements may change from year to year depending on the necessity to emphasize one area of support or another.

 

For example, it is expected that the FY 2002 Annual Performance Plan will contain a performance goal of upgrading OC=s information technology.  This involves computers, software, and network elements.  In another year, the surveys conducted of selected customers may reveal that OC=s capacity to provide television and radio feeds to the public needs to be upgraded.  In that case, a new performance goal (which for OC is actually a capacity building/maintenance goal) may need to be added to that year=s annual performance plan.

 


Despite the fact that OC=s performance goals are actually Acapacity building/maintenance@ goals, the nature of the performance plans remains the same for OC as for other agencies.  The annual performance plans set annual performance goals for accomplishing specific actions in the strategic plan.  They establish performance indicators that are used in annual performance reports to monitor whether the specific actions called for each year have been accomplished.  The annual performance plans and reports will be used as basic management tools to direct the use of OC=s resources to implement strategic approaches and achieve desired outcomes.  Performance plans include estimated staff years and program costs required to achieve annual performance goals.  Achieving annual performance goals, as determined from annual performance reports, will be the measure of accountability.

 

 

 

RESOURCES NEEDED

 

OC's staff ceiling has been reduced from 150 in FY 1993 to the current staff of 118.  The reductions were accomplished through authorized personnel buyouts.  No reduction in force action was necessary.  However, the current staff level will have to be maintained if the goals and objectives of this strategic plan are expected to be achieved.

 

The appropriated budget authority and outlays have remained fairly constant at about $8 million during the past 5 years.  In FY 1999, OC=s single largest outlay from fiscal resources was for staff salaries and benefits--86% of the appropriated funding.  Another 7% was obligated as common costs by the Department for information technology and other utilities, printing and reproduction, and other administrative services.  The remaining 7% was obligated for OC travel expenses, contractual agreements, online news clipping services and subscriptions, repair and maintenance of equipment, supplies and materials, new equipment, television production, etc.

 

Improving access to and dissemination of USDA information using the latest and most efficient communications technology, methods, and standards will require regular capital outlays in order to maintain, let alone expand, service to satisfy growing customer demands.  The Internet and the World Wide Web have become primary media for delivering information both to the public and within USDA.  A sufficient level of funding is needed if USDA is to provide the kinds of teleconferencing, Intranet, and other technological services required in improving internal USDA communications. 

 

Developing an efficient, effective, and results-oriented communications staff that provides high-quality service will demand commitment to updating and maintaining a modern communications organization that is responsive to public demands for Government information.  Only minor realignment of staffing has taken place since the last major restructuring of OC.  Therefore, it is necessary to assess the current OC structure to determine if it can meet the demands of the Government Performance Results Act in accomplishing the strategic plan within budgeted resources.  The FY 1995 - FY 2000 plan called for an assessment of the current organization in FY 1998, and for OC to reorganize into a more efficient, effective centralized communications workforce by FY 1999.  The plan calls for reassessment of the subsequent new organization in FY 2001.

 


 

PROGRAM EVALUATION

 

The development of this revised plan is based on the observations of OC managers as to the demands for services and general feedback from news media, constituent groups, members of the public, and USDA agencies.

 

Results, impacts, and effects of OC communications policies, information programs, and services will be evaluated through the annual unit and individual performance plans.  Customer surveys (internally and externally) will be conducted, to the extent resources allow, to ascertain if USDA information is understandable and is being delivered to publics needing and wanting it in a timely  manner.

 

 

ROLE OF EXTERNAL ENTITIES

 

No non-Federal entities, i.e., consultants or contractors, were used in the preparation of this strategic plan.