Governance and Management of the Nuclear Security Enterprise (2020) / Chapter Skim
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3 Management Practices Within NNSA
3 Management Practices Within NNSA
Pages 27-43
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From page 27... ...
The panel focused on the following management activities, which largely align with the characteristics of "high-reliability" organizations identified in the Augustine-Mies report: • Strategic planning, • Integration of functional support with mission execution, • Risk management, • Workforce management, • Planning and budgeting capabilities and processes, • Budget and reporting classification codes, and • Program management. Although the Augustine-Mies panel found at the time of its study that NNSA lacked "effective management practices" in a number of areas, this panel has observed that NNSA has taken multiple actions since then to begin addressing these problem areas and to improve operations and administration across the enterprise.
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From page 28... ...
• NNSA has established an NNSA-wide team focused on employee empowerment. Decades of research have shown that federal employee engagement is linked to organizational health and performance.1 • Based on publicly available results from the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS)
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From page 29... ...
personnel were briefed on the Strategic Vision and given an opportunity to provide feedback before it was finalized. This inclusive process was 2 National Nuclear Security Administration, 2019, Strategic Vision: Strengthening Our Nation Through Nuclear Security, Washington, D.C.; National Nuclear Security Administration, 2019, Governance & Management Framework, Washington, D.C.; and National Nuclear Security Administration, 2019, NNSA Strategic Integrated Roadmap 2020–2044, Washington, D.C.
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From page 30... ...
Each year since then, NNSA has improved on the guidelines and process with the goal of being more strategic and inclusive: • Expanded the process to include plants and sites, as well as laboratories; • Linked the process to NNSA's strategic documents by, for example, directing the laboratories, plants, and sites to describe how their unique capabilities further the priorities in the Strategic Vision and Strategic Integrated Roadmap; • Updated and improved the guidance to be less operational; • Included more key headquarters personnel and leadership from other sites when strategic plans are briefed to NNSA headquarters; • Provided the leadership of each laboratory, plant, and site an opportunity to brief the Adminis trator in a separate meeting; 3 National Nuclear Security Administration, 2019, G&M Newsletter 1(3) , and interviews with the NNSA Office of Policy and Strategic Planning.
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From page 31... ...
INTEGRATION OF FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT WITH MISSION EXECUTION The Augustine-Mies report noted a perceived lack of a mission-driven culture and unity around the mission across the nuclear security enterprise. Specifically, it mentioned a lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities among DOE, NNSA headquarters, the field offices, and the M&Os.
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From page 32... ...
Consideration should be given to requiring rotational assignments prior to pro motion to senior NNSA positions. RISK MANAGEMENT In the Governance & Management Framework, NNSA signaled that improving risk management is a priority by describing policies and initiatives that have been completed or are under way:8 7 The Office of Acquisition and Project Management is focused on construction project delivery and acquisition improvements and provides independent counsel to ensure that NNSA implements federal acquisition and construction project management policies and regulations.
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From page 33... ...
• Best practices and lessons learned are shared through processes like the site governance peer reviews. • An enterprise risk management approach based on risk management principles and best practices is being developed.
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From page 34... ...
Given both the Augustine-Mies and this panel's findings that M&O leaders and staff, in particular, believe that 3.2 $6,000,000 100% 90% $5,000,000 80% TRAINING DOLLARS BUDGETED 70% $4,000,000 60% $3,000,000 50% 40% $2,000,000 30% 20% $1,000,000 10% $0 0% FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 Training Budget % Training Budget Used FEVS Q68‐% Training Satisfaction FIGURE 3.2 Growth in NNSA's staff training activities. SOURCE: Adapted from NNSA, "Learning and Career Management: 2019 Year in Review," National Nuclear Security Administration, Washington, D.C., p.
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From page 35... ...
Further, NNSA established the nuclear security enterprise Educational Partnership Consortium, which focuses on forming and sustaining strategic partnerships with educational institutions. The length of time it took to get a security clearance was a long-standing problem for both NNSA and M&O personnel.
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From page 36... ...
Problems cited include numerous instances of wildly inaccurate estimates involving not only construction of facilities, such as the Y-12 highly enriched uranium processing facility, but also for the costs for Life Extension Programs, such as the B61. Some cost estimates for major NNSA programs and projects were as low as half of an estimate produced using best practices; an outlier was low by a factor of 6.
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From page 37... ...
Most recently, it has also been put in charge of providing independent cost estimates of construction projects. As CEPE's responsibilities have increased, the panel was told that it has developed a solid working relationship with NA-APM while reviewing the budget profile for construction projects and likewise with NNSA's Office for Safety, Infrastructure, and Operations with which it partners on some work for the annual budget build.
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From page 38... ...
NNSA is undertaking a multiyear financial integration project to develop and apply a cost-collection tool intended to enable direct and indirect costs to be determined and compared across all sites and 15 NAP 130.1A, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Evaluation (PPBE) Process, https://directives.nnsa.doe.gov/nnsa policy-documents/nap-0130-0001a; ACD 413.1, Centralizing Cost Estimating Activities in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
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From page 39... ...
Consolidated Nuclear Security Controls Example Budget Control Type Sep-14 Sep-19 (+/–) Enacted Annual Budget (Dollars in Millions)
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From page 40... ...
-- The Office of Defense Programs is now the account integrator for the Weapons Activity budget, which enables it to prioritize programs and projects and to identify and resolve disconnects between program and functional leadership. 18 The Government Accountability Office recently issued a report about NNSA's financial integration effort: National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Collect Common Financial Data, January 2019, http://www.gao.gov/ assets/700/696683.pdf.
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From page 41... ...
-- SRS is only 2 years into developing its pit production capacity. NNSA implemented a new project delivery model at SRS, establishing and involving a Federal Project Director earlier in the project planning process to improve program and project planning and coordination.
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From page 42... ...
Recommendation 3.4: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) should ensure that the management structures for its major programs provide a high level of authorities and capabilities to one strong program manager so that program managers can serve as the focal point for anticipating and resolving issues in the execution of the program.
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From page 43... ...
Therefore, the panel reiterates (with minor changes) a recommendation from its fourth report of early in 2020.22 Recommendation 3.5: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
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