The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission


ADDENDUM: Interim Adjustments To Strategic Plan For Fiscal Years 2004 - 2009

February 10, 2006

Each February, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or agency) submits its Performance Budget to the U.S. Congress. The performance budget integrates the agency's budget request with the Annual Performance Plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. In each performance budget, the agency made interim adjustments to its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2004-2009 (Strategic Plan), which was effective on October 1, 2003. The adjustments are described below.

All of the adjustments to the Strategic Plan are included in this addendum. The originally issued Strategic Plan and this addendum constitute the agency's complete Strategic Plan.

For the convenience of the reader, we have highlighted in bold several words in each measure to make it easier to identify the key changes made.

  1. Inclusion of the 180th Day and Adjustment of Goal Value for Measure 1.1.1.

    We are measuring a consistent time frame for the first three measures in our Strategic Plan. We have changed the phrasing of the text to ensure that it is clear that we are including the 180th day of the period in the count. These changes are not substantive. Also, the original goal of 70% has been increased to 75% by fiscal year 2009, a more challenging goal for the agency.

    Measure1.1.1. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 70% of private sector charges will be resolved within 180 days.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 75% of private sector charges will be resolved in 180 days or fewer.
    Measure 1.1.2. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 50% of federal sector hearings will be resolved within 180 days.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 50% of federal sector hearings will be resolved in 180 days or fewer.
    Measure 1.1.3. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 70% of federal sector appeals will be resolved within 180 days.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, ensure that at least 70% of will federal sector appeals be resolved in 180 days or fewer.
  2. Increased Agreement of Employers to Mediate

    The private sector mediation program has been very successful; however, our charge data and a research study verified that employers do not agree to participate in the program to the same extent that charging parties do. This measure was developed to increase the number of charges in which employers agree to participate. The original language may incorrectly imply that we would count unique employers in order to increase those agreeing to participate. It is more appropriate, however, to try to increase the actual number of charges that are mediated, which requires that the employer agree to mediate the charge. The text change is not substantive, but it correctly states how the agency will determine the results for this measure.

    Measure 1.2.2. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2006, increase by 20% the number of private sector employers that agree to participate in mediation from the fiscal year 2003 baseline.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2006, increase by 20% the number of private sector charges in which employers agree to participate in mediation over the fiscal year 2003 baseline.
  3. Federal Sector Evaluations

    The agency regularly uses the term �Federal sector program� when it describes EEOC�s activities, policies, processes and procedures involving Federal agencies. One of EEOC�s activities is to evaluate the EEO programs of other Federal agencies. The use of the word �program� in this measure was intended only to indicate that our own Federal sector program would conduct the evaluation. It could be misunderstood, however, to require the type of rigor and independence expected from the Program Evaluations described in Section VII. The text of the measure has been changed to avoid any misunderstanding. The text change is not substantive.

    Measure 1.3.4. Original performance measure: EEOC�s Federal sector program evaluations and technical assistance efforts result in Federal agencies improving employment policies, practices and procedures.
    Revised performance measure: EEOC�s Federal sector evaluations and technical assistance efforts result in Federal agencies improving employment policies, practices and procedures.
  4. Electronic Conversion of Files

    The electronic document management project will electronically convert key documents in a file, but it was not the intention of the agency to count individual documents to assess the results for this measure. The original text of the measure could be misunderstood. It has been revised to convey that the agency will count the number of case files after the electronic conversion of documents occurs. In addition, the original text did not explicitly include our Federal sector files in the document conversion program. The text was changed to clearly reflect that we are also converting key documents in the Federal files. The text changes are not substantive.

    Also, funding priorities in fiscal year 2007 and beyond have necessitated adjustments to our targets and the final goal for this performance measure for fiscal year 2009. At this time, we will need to reassess this measure and the final goal as we review our Strategic Plan during fiscal year 2006 for issuance in fiscal year 2007. We have indicated the goal will be determined at that time.

    Measure 3.1.8. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, EEOC will maintain in electronic format 95% of the key documents necessary in active charge/case-related enforcement/litigation files.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, EEOC will convert the key documents contained in TBD% of its private sector charge, Federal sector complaint, and litigation case files to electronic format.
  5. Change in Program Evaluations Schedule

    The agency elected to change the order of the Program Evaluations outlined in the agency�s Strategic Plan twice. Neither change in the schedule is a substantive change to the Strategic Plan. In fiscal year 2004, the Program Evaluation schedule was adjusted to indicate that the agency would conduct an evaluation of the Private Sector Charge Process starting at the end of fiscal year 2004. The previously scheduled evaluation of the Private Sector Mediation Program was postponed until fiscal year 2006. In fiscal year 2005, the Program Evaluation schedule was adjusted to indicate that the agency would conduct an evaluation of the Federal Sector Mediation Programs, which started at the end of fiscal year 2005. The previously scheduled evaluation of the Private Sector Mediation Program was further postponed until fiscal year 2007.

  6. Alternate Assessment of Private Sector Mediation/ADR Program

    The Strategic Plan indicates for Measure 1.2.1. that the agency would conduct a Program Evaluation in fiscal year 2005 to assess the private sector mediation/ADR program. Because of the changed program evaluation schedule (item E above), the agency decided to assess this program using an alternative method with data it began to collect in fiscal year 2005 from its investigative charge files and coded into the agency-wide charge database. Using this data, it established target levels for fiscal year 2005 through 2008 and a final goal for fiscal year 2009 for this measure. The language of the measure was revised to express the results expected with this alternative approach using language similar to the format used for many of our other measures. Even though we changed the text of this measure, we consider these changes as minor alterations to our Strategic Plan because this alternative approach is consistent with our original intention to evaluate the private sector mediation/ADR program.

    Measure 1.2.1. Original performance measure: Assess the contributions of EEOC�s private sector mediation/ADR program towards improved workplaces.
    Revised performance measure: Of all of the private sector mediation/ADR resolutions, by fiscal year 2009 4.6% of them will result in improvements to an organization�s employment policies, practices or procedures.
  7. EEO/Conflict Resolution

    The RESOLVE Program is EEOC�s internal ADR program launched in fiscal year 2003. The program is another component of our efforts to become a model workplace. We decided that one aspect of its success would be the willingness of employees to participate in the program again. We established a goal for our first full year at 30%, with our intention to reach a final goal of 80% by fiscal year 2009. We are altering the targets and goals for this measure because of the unprecedented success we have achieved. The text change increases the targets and final goal expected for this measure. We consider the change to be a minor alteration to our Strategic Plan because it does not substantively revise the intention of the measure.

    Measure 3.1.7. Original performance measure: The percentage of EEOC employees reporting a willingness to participate again in EEOC�s internal EEO/conflict resolution mediation program, RESOLVE, will be 80% by fiscal year 2009.
    Revised performance measure: The percentage of EEOC employees reporting a willingness to participate again in EEOC�s internal EEO/conflict resolution mediation program, RESOLVE, will be 90% or greater.
  8. Establishing Goals and Required Language Changes to Measures

    Initially, several measures did not provide stated intermediate target values and/or a final goal in our Strategic Plan. The following measures required minor adjustments to include goals and/or revise language. The inclusion of the final goals and any text changes to accommodate the type of final goal do not substantively revise the intention of these measures in our Strategic Plan.

    Measure 1.1.4. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, reviews of investigative files indicate that the percentage of files meeting established criteria for quality is at [TBD]% or higher.
    Revised performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, reviews of investigative files indicate that the percentage of files meeting established criteria for quality is at a maintenance level of 90% or higher.
    Measure 1.3.1. Original performance measure: By fiscal year 2009, TBD% of private sector resolutions where EEOC is a party result in improvements to employment policies, practices, or procedures.
    Revised performance measure: Of all of the private sector charge resolutions, where EEOC is a party, except for ADR/mediation resolutions, by fiscal year 2009, 19.0% of them will result in improvements to an organization�s employment policies, practices or procedures.
  9. Other Revised Language in the Strategic Plan

    Original text in the means and strategies section of Strategic Objective #2, Inclusive Workplace, in our Strategic Plan has been revised to remove the word "scorecard" from the text. The term did not appropriately convey the approach we intended to use to t promote, monitor and track improvements in Federal agency EEO programs. The change eliminated unnecessary confusion about how we intended to execute the initiative to implement the attributes of the Model EEO Program throughout the Federal government.

    Text changes in the Strategic Plan:

    Original text on page 27, with language removed for revised text change: As part of the Model, we will develop a scorecard covering selected indicators that will help agencies measure their progress in establishing the Model EEO Program.

    Original text on page 28, with language removed for revised text change: Also, develop a "scorecard" process to promote, monitor and track improvements in managing an agency's EEO program.


This page was last modified on February 10, 2006.

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