Embassy New Delhi, India and Constituent Posts - OIG - US ...

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Mission India will need to build on the accomplishments of the current group. The mission and
CA should work together to codify the positive lessons from CTI and to publicize this
information.
Recommendation 18: The Bureau of Consular Affairs, in coordination with Embassy New
Delhi, should provide guidance to consular managers through the bureau’s intranet site on the
principles of integrating large multipost consular operations, building on the lessons of Consular
Team India. (Action: CA, in coordination with Embassy New Delhi)
Innovative Practice: Using Metrics to Measure Performance
Issue: Many consular managers collect data but fail to use that data to improve performance,
while other posts measure too many things and staff members are unclear about what they should
focus on.
Response: Consular Team India has developed an effective metrics program that focuses on 12
key performance indicators. Several of the metrics target unproductive tasks that should be
avoidable. All five posts in India use the same metrics and, when one post finds a way to
improve performance, they share their successful practices with the other posts.
Result: Posts in India have made significant improvements in several areas. For example, by
focusing on the first-time success rate for immigrant visa and passport applicants, the posts have
identified ways to help applicants arrive better prepared. The result is that staff has to handle the
applications only once, saving considerable time, and the applicants receive better service by not
having to make a second visit to the post. In another example, a focus on spoiled visa foils has
reduced the spoil rate to less than half the worldwide average, thereby reducing extra work for
staff.
As noted above, each post has responsibility for coordinating different CTI issues. The
only formal countrywide coordinating function, besides that of the MCCA, in India is the FS-02
countrywide coordinator for fraud prevention management position in Chennai. This position has
proved its value, and the concept should be extended to American citizens services (ACS), which
needs more coordination on issues such as parental child abductions, warden systems and
messages, and adoptions. The position should be located in Embassy New Delhi, as the officer
will need to be a liaison with the central government on key issues such as extraditions and
children’s issues. The ACS chief position in New Delhi is a FS-03 position and would be the
appropriate position for this new responsibility. The mission and the Department would need to
reevaluate the appropriate grade level for the position. In the opinion of the OIG team, the
position should probably be at the FS-02 level.
Recommendation 19: Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs
and the Bureau of Human Resources, should designate the officer in the FS-03 American citizens
services chief position in Embassy New Delhi as the countrywide coordinator for American
citizens services and should reevaluate the appropriate grade level for that position. (Action:
Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with CA and DGHR)
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