APPENDIX 6:  LINKING THE GPRA STRATEGIC PLAN TO THE PERFORMANCE PLAN

NSF will develop annual performance plans under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) with performance goals that provide strong accountability and management tools. These annual plans will also reflect the reality that the results of NSF's investment in research and education appear over long time scales and at uneven, unpredictable intervals, arising from the nature of science and technology.

The outcome goals, core strategies, and five-year plans will be used as a basis for organizing both the annual performance plan and the agency's corresponding annual budget request. These comprise the principal directions of agency action and the bulk of NSF funding.

While the three broad goals in this strategic plan are not described in a way that permits assessment of their achievement, the long-term outcomes identified for each of these goals will provide the basis for results-oriented performance goals that can be assessed. (This is permissible under Circular A-11, Part 2, OMB.)

Performance plans for an upcoming fiscal year will be developed in light of the analysis of past performance, assessment of how recent or projected changes in the investment portfolio will influence future performance, and fit to the outcome goals and strategies identified in this strategic plan. Given the expected lag between investment and outcomes, NSF will always be operating with only partial information in developing its program strategies.

Annual performance goals for NSF management will derive from the key strategies under Critical Factors for Success in the body of this GPRA strategic plan, with selected areas highlighted in a given year as it becomes particularly timely. Specific performance goals for each year will be determined by assessing past performance and making reasonable projections for levels of performance that can be expected