CSREES Reporting Web Conference

1
CSREES Reporting Web Conference

• February 14, 2008

2
User Support

• [phone] or C2IT_at_csrees.usda.gov
• Do not contact Texas AM support
• FAQs and other information on the CSREES
  Reporting Web Conference web page at
  www.csrees.usda.gov/rwc

3
Welcome!

• Purpose of the Reporting Web Conference Series
• Format and Logistics
• Presentations and Questions
• Topics for Next Time

4
Purpose of the Reporting Web Conference Series

• Improve communications between CSREES and its
  partners on reporting issues, including
• AREERA Plan of Work
• Grant and project reporting through CRIS
• One Solution Initiative

5
Format and Logistics

• Web conference on the 2nd Thursday of even months
  from 2-4 p.m. Eastern
• 2 topics of one hour each
• Generally, one topic will be a planning and
  accountability issue, one will be a One Solution
  issue
• ½ hour presentation
• ½ questions

6
Format and Logistics

• E-mail questions to rwc_at_csrees.usda.gov
• Opportunity to vote for topics for next
  conference
• Conferences are recorded and will be available on
  the Reporting Web Conference web page at
  www.csrees.usda.gov/rwc

7
Greg Crosby
Greg is the CSREES National Program Leader for
Sustainable Development Governing Committee for
eXtension Agency Representative to the USDA
Council for Sustainable Development US
Government and USDA Lead for "My Community, Our
Earth Geographic Learning for Sustainable
Development" Director of the Agency OneSolution
Business Process Director of Geospatial
Extension Specialists NRI Program Co-lead Agency
Working Group on Science for Sustainability
Senior eGovernment Fellow at the Council for
Excellence in Government. (202)
401-6050 gcrosby_at_csrees.usda.gov www.csrees.usda.g
ov/onesolution
8
Bart Hewitt
Bart is the Accountability and Reporting Leader
for the Office of Planning and Accountability.
He leads the national effort for the State Plan
of Work and Annual Report process under the
Agricultural Research, Extension and Education
Reform Act manages the Multistate Research Fund
Project Proposal approvals for CSREES and
develops performance information for the PART and
CSREES Budget. [phone] bhewitt_at_csrees.usd
a.gov www.csrees.usda.gov/opa
9
One Solution Overview and Transition Standard
Report
10
One Solution Why

• Increased emphasis on results-oriented
  accountability
• Integration of performance with budget decisions
  as a prerequisite of continued funding

11
One Solution How

• Various reporting processes currently used by
  CSREES will be unified into an innovative
  integrated system that better aligns the agency
  budget with performance outcomes across research,
  education, and extension.

12
One Solution Benefits

• Better manage increasing performance and budget
  reporting expectations
• Enhanced data quality and analyses
• Improved national program leadership and planning
• Decreased reporting burden on grantees
• Better able to demonstrate how the agency is
  fulfilling its mission and serving the American
  public.

13
One Solution Principles

• Every investment has to be reported in the
  database and we must be able to explain how every
  dollar was spent.
• Report once and only once, and use the
  information that is collected.
• The data we collect must meet the requirements of
  federal reporting
• The information collected must be of value to us
  and the grantees we ask to report
• CSREES must be able to reliably answer detailed
  questions in a manner that is consistent over
  time and across different functions
• CSREES and the partners want to be able to go
  back into the database after grant has ended and
  enter the outcomes that can not be captured now.

14
One Solution History

• With input from the partnership---
• Business Case (2005)
• Project Plan (2006)
• CRIS Transition Standard Report (2007) with
  modified categories and more complete guidance.

15
One Solution Standard Report

• Previous CRIS Forms
• CSREES Logic Model
• Research Performance Progress Report
• CRIS Transition Standard Report

16
One Solution CRIS Transition Standard Report

• The revised CRIS AD 416 sections include
• Goals/Objectives/ Expected Outputs
• Methods
• Non-Technical Summary
• The revised CRIS AD 421 sections include
• Outputs
• Outcomes/Impacts
• Publications
• Participants
• Target Audiences
• Project Modifications

17
One Solution For More Information

• www.csrees.usda.gov/onesolution
• General Info--Greg Crosby 202 401-6050
  gcrosby_at_csrees.usda.gov
• Standard Report--Deb Hamernik 202 401-4202
  dhamernik_at_csrees.usda.gov
• Technology--John Mingee 202 720-2602
  jmingee_at_csrees.usda.gov

18
Plan of Work A Key Component of the One Solution

• How does the Plan of Work relate to the One
  Solution Initiative
• Part of the larger One Solution Initiative
• Web-based system for Formula Funds
• Same goals of One Solution

19
One Solution Initiative

• Goals of One Solution
• Improve quality of accountability data
• Simplify Reporting
• Reduce burden on Partners and CSREES
• Help CSREES staff with Program Leadership
• Meet increasing performance budget reporting
  expectations

20
Plan of Work Whats Next?

• 2009 -2013 Plan of Work Update Due to CSREES by
  April 1, 2008
• 2007 Annual Report due by April 1, 2008
• Administrative Interface for NPLs
• Integration into One Solution Initiative

21
Plan of WorkAdministrative Interface

• Manage Workflow
• NPL Review of POW and Annual Report
• Automatic Notification System
• Approvals of POW and Annual Report

22
Plan of WorkIntegration into One Solution

• Analysis Underway on Double Hatch Reporting and
  Integrating Project Level Reports into Plan of
  Work requirements.
• Analysis Underway on Smith-Lever 3d and other
  Extension grant programs and how POW Planned
  Program module can be used.

23
Annual Report Data Use

• How will CSREES use the information from the
  Annual Report for planning and accountability?
• State Plan of Work Accountability
• Portfolio Reviews
• OMB PART process
• Budget Performance Integration
• GAO and OIG inquiries
• Answer Congressional Departmental inquiries
• Brings greater visibility of successes of Formula
  Funded Programs

24
What is being done at CSREES?

• One Solution Initiative
• Redesign CRIS report to include elements of the
  government wide Standard Report
• Build POW and standardize annual reports to make
  it easy for partners to report outcomes following
  a logic model format
• Develop management dashboard to enable the Agency
  to search for outcomes submitted in annual
  reports
• Sub-group of One Solution looking at perceived
  double reporting of Hatch and Evans-Allen

25
Questions?

• E-mail questions to rwc_at_csrees.usda.gov
• For more information, visit the One Solution web
  page at www.csrees.usda.gov/onesolution

26
Bob MacDonald
Bob is Director of the Office of Planning and
Accountability which provides leadership to the
agency in strategic planning, performance
measurement, and evaluation.  These activities
are used by the agency to improve program
leadership and management, allocation of
resources, and evaluation of success. (202)
270-5623 rmacdonald_at_csrees.usda.gov www.csrees.usd
a.gov/opa
27
How CSREES Uses Your Reporting and What It Needs
for Outcomes
28
Budget-Performance Cycle
29
CSREES Portfolios

• Agricultural Markets Trade
• Agricultural Structures Farm Management
• Animal Systems
• Economic and Community Decision Making
• Education
• Environment Natural Resources

• Food Processing Bio-Based Products
• Food Safety
• International Economic Development
• Nutrition and Healthier Food Choices
• Plant Systems
• Quality of Life in Rural Areas

30
Budget-Performance Cycle
31
Other Uses of Your Reporting

• Program Leadership
• Reporting to Congress, Administration, and
  Interested Parties
• Grant Oversight

32
What CSREES Needs for Outcomes

• Grant Oversight
• National Program Leadership
• Portfolio Assessment
• Communications
• Information for Decision Makers and Stakeholders

33
What is needed to convince a decision-maker?

• Concise and comprehensible
• Context and interpretation
• Public value

34
Public Value?

• Public value is the value of a program to those
  who do not directly benefit from the program
• The public sector provides information that
  allows consumers and producers to make better
  choices.
• The public sector addresses a crucial concern
  about fairness.
• Consumers or producers create benefits for others
  or impose costs on others.
• Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota
  Extension

35
Examples of Quality Outcomes

• A Model to Reduce Dependence on Oil Researchers
  developed a model of the market for gasoline,
  gasoline additives and gasoline substitutes
  specifically to analyze the market for ethanol.
  The model develops an indicator of competitive
  position, the cost difference between ethanol
  imports from Brazil and domestic production in
  the United States under ideal conditions without
  tariffs in the ethanol market. The model shows
  that biomass fuel could replace 20 percent of
  current gasoline usage without major land
  conversion and about 45 percent of current usage
  with land conversion.

36
Examples of Quality Outcomes

• Researchers cloned a gene, GPC-B1, from wild
  wheat that increases the protein, zinc and iron
  content in the grain, offering a potential
  solution to nutritional deficiencies affecting
  hundreds of millions of children around the
  world. The researchers found that all commercial
  pasta and bread wheat varieties analyzed so far
  have a nonfunctional copy of the GPC gene,
  suggesting the gene was lost during the
  domestication of wheat. Reintroducing the
  functional gene into commercial wheat varieties
  could increase their nutritional value.

37
Examples of Quality Outcomes

• Since 2001 the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Extension has provided e-Commerce training to
  over 600 businesses (the Nebraska Electronic Main
  Street Program). As a result of the training,
  93 indicated they will be increases business
  efforts on the web, 96 indicated that they will
  be changing their existing website (or developing
  websites). Previous to the training, only 51 of
  the businesses had a website.

38
Examples of Quality Outcomes

• Research at Kentucky State University has shown
  that screened bottom boards eliminate many live
  Varroa mites from beehives. Over a 15-month
  period, Varroa mites were reduced by 57 by the
  use of this equipment.

39
Questions?

• E-mail questions to rwc_at_csrees.usda.gov
• For more information, visit the Planning and
  Accountability web page at www.csrees.usda.gov/opa
  

40
Topics for Next Time
41
See you in April!!!

• Next CSREES Reporting Web Conference will be on
  Thursday, April 10 from 2-4 pm (Eastern)
• Visit the conference web site at
  www.csrees.usda.gov/rwc for
• The recording of this conference
• The slides from this conference
• Announcements