On August 3, 1993, the Government Performance and Results Act became law. Congress found that “waste and inefficiency in Federal programs undermine the confidence of the American people in the Government.” The law promised “a new focus on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction.”
Every federal agency must write a strategic plan. Each year it reports to the President and Congress on how its programs performed. Performance goals are normally stated “in an objective, quantifiable, and measurable form.” A 2011 update added another step. The head of each agency must review progress on its priority goals every quarter.