18 FAM 300
STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND MANAGEMENT
18 FAM 301
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
18 FAM 301.1
MANAGING FOR RESULTS (MFR) FRAMEWORK
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
(Office of Origin: BP and F)
18 FAM 301.1-1 MANAGING FOR RESULTS (MFR) INTRODUCTION
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
a. The Managing for Results (MfR) Framework illustrates key linkages among State Department strategic planning, budgeting, managing, and learning. The products and processes associated with the MfR Framework are intended to help bureaus and missions make informed decisions at the strategic and operational levels and achieve improved outcomes through use of rigorous monitoring and evaluation practices. Improving how the Department plans, budgets, manages, learns, and uses deliverables from one part of the framework to inform the others can:
· Strengthen decision-making on strategic priorities
· Assess what’s working well (and what is not) to inform strategic, programmatic, and budget decisions
· Articulate how the Department spends resources, and increase transparency and accountability
· Improve coordination within the Department and with external stakeholders
· Tell Congress and taxpayers what we are achieving
b. The Office of Foreign Assistance (F) and the Bureau of Budget and Planning (BP), in collaboration with USAID, facilitate and oversee the products and processes associated with the MfR Framework.
18 FAM 301.1-2 PLANNING
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
Strategic planning for State occurs at the department, bureau, and mission levels. On March 30, 2022, State and USAID released a shared four-year Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) that sets forth the direction and priorities for both organizations and presents how State and USAID will implement U.S. foreign policy priorities. Bureaus and missions develop their own strategies using the JSP and other relevant high-level policies and strategies, such as the National Security Strategy, to inform their plans. Regional Bureaus at State and USAID develop a Joint Regional Strategy (JRS) and State Functional Bureaus develop a Functional Bureau Strategy (FBS) with input from stakeholders throughout the Department and from interagency partners where appropriate. Each mission develops an Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) drawing from the JSP, relevant JRS, and other top-level strategies and policy guidance.
18 FAM 301.1-3 BUDGETING
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
The Department’s annual budget formulation process aligns and prioritizes resources against strategic plans. The budget process begins in late winter with the Mission Resource Request (MRR) followed by the Bureau Resource Request (BRR) in early spring. Those requests are then analyzed and assessed by F and BP against Department, USAID, and Administration goals. Options and recommendations are presented to the Secretary, and his/her decisions are reflected in a combined State and USAID budget submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in September, following guidance under OMB Circular A-11. Subsequent to OMB’s recommendations and decisions, the State and USAID budget request is included in the President’s Budget submission to Congress in February, with further details provided in Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ) materials. Congress reviews the request through spring, summer, and fall, but timing of the full-year appropriations varies from year to year. Once an appropriations act is enacted, the Department is generally required by Congress to submit ‘operating plans’ or ‘spend plans’ describing how the Department plans to allocate and use the funds.
18 FAM 301.1-4 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
a. Program management involves thoughtful planning, design, and implementation of programs in a manner that contributes to the intended outcome. The Department has numerous resources to support program management best practices including the Program Design and Performance Management Toolkit, and Teamwork@State tools and workshops.
b. Managing involves thoughtful planning and implementation of programs, projects, and processes in a manner that achieves their intended goals and objectives. Sound management is an ongoing activity to ensure our investments achieve those goals efficiently and effectively. Monitoring and data collection efforts should be integrated through the life of a program, project, or process, as they inform ongoing adjustments and improvements, as well as provide data and topics for evaluation. This stage of the MfR Framework involves implementing Operational Plans; the Department’s Program and Project Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation Policy; and executing the sound management practices articulated in the State Department Program Design and Performance Management Toolkit. Bureaus and offices may have additional best practices in program management. Program management practices at the Department also support implementation of statutory provisions such as the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act (GPRAMA, PL 111-352), Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA, PL 114-191), and the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA, PL 114-264).
18 FAM 301.1-5 LEARNING
(CT:PPP-24; 10-20-2022)
As the Department works to advance its goals, learning what is and is not working well and why is critical to efficiently and effectively executing impactful U.S. foreign policy. Learning takes place when all levels of an organization engage in the thoughtful and purposeful collection, analysis, and discussion of information to assess progress toward their goals and adapt as necessary. To guide this learning, in May 2022 the State Department published its first Department Learning Agenda, a methodologically rigorous plan for marshalling evidence to increase the positive impact of U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance. The Learning Agenda will be reviewed annually, and evidence produced via Learning Agenda activities will inform key decisions and deliverables associated with the other MfR processes. State Department bureaus and offices regularly monitor ongoing implementation of their programs and projects through qualitative and quantitative indicators, and conduct evaluations to assess overall program, project, or process effectiveness. This stage of the MfR framework includes activities to support strategic progress reviews, monitoring, and evaluation as well as various performance reporting mechanisms like the Annual Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report (APP/APR), Foreign Assistance Performance Plan and Report (PPR), Evaluation Registry, and Evaluation Management System.