Report - Government Executive

CONCLUSIONS
The Panel finds that a significant amount of time and effort have been expended by OUSD(I) and
the DoD intelligence components on DCIPS implementation, but that all aspects of DCIPS
implementation related to the Preparedness component of the OPM Assessment Framework are
nonetheless significantly flawed and that it is too early to assess the Progress component. It is
important to note that this situation is not the sole responsibility of the HR professionals in the
DoD intelligence components tasked with implementing DCIPS. These individuals were given a
charge that would have been very difficult to achieve under the best of circumstances and have
endeavored to do the best job possible.
The Panel further concludes that DCIPS implementation was rushed, and an overall change
management strategy was not established to guide the transformational and tactical dimensions
of implementation. These critical omissions have created a host of challenges that must be
addressed, including a major effort to rebuild employee trust. Given the nature and scope of the
challenges, DCIPS leadership must fill many key gaps in leadership and strategy prior to
engaging in further implementation activities. To prepare a stronger foundation going forward,
leadership must fully support and appropriately allocate additional time and resources to
developing:
• A more thorough strategy;
• A stronger system of governance and accountability;
• Clearer messaging; and
• Refined business rules, tools, and training that support the system.
As noted in the training discussion, a critical missing component is intensive training for firstline
supervisors on all system aspects, including basic managerial behaviors and communications
that underpin DCIPS and every performance management system. The lack of adequate
managerial training is a chronic weakness across the federal government, but it is magnified with
DCIPS since it requires new and different behaviors from supervisors, many of whom have had
limited demands placed on them for developing personnel management skills.
Implementation of a performance management and performance-based compensation system
requires years to accomplish. 162 A more thoughtful, incremental, and methodical approach to
DCIPS implementation will minimize the risk of repeating past implementation mistakes. The
Panel provides the following recommendations to assist OUSD(I) and the DoD intelligence
components to accomplish this successfully with DCIPS.
Recommendation 10. OUSD(I) should develop a comprehensive change management plan
for proceeding with DCIPS implementation that takes the current climate into account,
162 Interviews and the examples of NGA and MITRE support this statement.
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