Summary of Performance Results

The Department focuses on three different, yet inter-related aspects of economic growth and opportunity—business, innovation, and environment—with each aspect reflected in each of the Department’s strategic goals. A fourth goal—management integration—is linked to all three goals, focusing on various aspects of improving the management of the Department. This structure is shown below.

The Department promotes business by developing partnerships with state, local, private, and non-profit enterprise so as to encourage economic growth and development (objective 1.1). The Department also encourages trade by promoting U.S. exports (objective 1.1) while at the same time monitoring those exports to prevent any export of goods that could be used for any activities against the United States (objective 1.2). The Department also develops and publishes the economic statistics and indicators (e.g., gross domestic product [GDP]) that are essential to U.S. business (objective 1.3).

The Department promotes innovation through research and the development of new applications of research (e.g., quantum mechanics) to assist the private sector (objective 2.1). The Department also encourages the development of new technology and the protection of intellectual property (IP) through the issuance of patents and trademarks (objective 2.2). Finally, the Department advances the telecommunication sector by making certain that the allocation of the radio spectrum provides the greatest benefit to all people as well as promoting new sources of advanced telecommunications (objective 2.3).

The Department promotes the use of the environment that both assists the American people while maintaining U.S. natural resources. The Department provides daily weather reports and warnings while also researching long-term effects of climate change (objective 3.1). The Department also encourages trade and shipping by providing essential navigation maps to the private sector (objective 3.2). Finally, the Department monitors the fishing industry and U.S. marine habitats to prevent overfishing and maintain and preserve U.S. natural marine habitats (objective 3.2). The Department also provides mission support activities (e.g., satellites) that support the other two objectives within Strategic Goal 3.

Management Integration promotes greater efficiency within all three strategic goals of the Department through various information technology (IT) activities, financial management oversight and administration, and periodic reviews of programs.

In terms of funding, no strategic goal dominates the other with occasional fluctuations occurring that change the respective percentages. For example, in FY 2007 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) received an authorization of $2.136 billion for Digital Conversion. Likewise as 2010 approaches, Census Bureau funding will increase to where it alone will represent approximately half the Department’s budget.

Within each strategic goal is a set of performance objectives which cut across bureau programs, and within each objective are performance outcomes unique to each bureau. Because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) comprises an entire strategic goal, the structure does not go below the performance objective level. Likewise, for the Management Integration goal, because it is so small (representing less than one percent of the budget), the structure only goes to the performance objective level. In previous years, these objectives/outcomes were noted as performance goals. Under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and in an effort to establish a more outcome orientation to its performance, the Department has to a certain extent modified these outcomes and therefore changed the wording.