Operating Plan Fiscal Year 2013

Foreword

Best practices have been implemented each year via the creation of performance targets and measures established through the agency's annual operating plan. The 2013-2016 NTSB Strategic Plan specifies four strategic goals to which all NTSB activities are aligned and individual office contributions are made: (1) Conduct effective accident investigations, (2) Recommend and advocate actions to improve transportation safety, (3) Conduct fair and expeditious adjudication of airman and mariners appeals from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard enforcement actions and certificate denials,, and (4) Provide outstanding mission support. These goals cascade into 9 associated strategic objectives and a number of performance measures associated with them that indicate successful target levels to be achieved.

Performance measures are part of each agency's strategic plan, indicating how progress toward agency goals and objectives is measured and help focus agency efforts on achieving priority goals and objectives. The performance measures indicated in this report have been selected for their direct relationship to the agency's mission, goals, and strategic objectives. In FY 2013, the agency continues to move toward the concept of emphasizing a smaller group of performance measures demonstrating more accurate indicators of agency success.

Performance measure definitions have been included in this report to provide both an explanation of each measure and the methodology for its calculation. It is important that the definition contain enough pertinent information to be clearly understood and the description of its calculation be detailed enough to allow replication.

Over the past several fiscal years, this performance-based culture has remained a focus of agency management and staff; it will continue to be enhanced during fiscal year 2012, as new measures and target levels are first updated and then tracked and evaluated throughout the year. The NTSB is optimistic that its results-oriented culture will continue to evolve and promote better governance in the future, leading to further improvements in transportation safety.


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