ABSTRACT
The Administration subsequently developed and began using a Program Assessment Rating Tool or "Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)" to explicitly fuse performance information into the budget formulation process at a funding decision level. The PART questions were divided into four sections. The first section gauged whether a program had a clear purpose and was well designed to achieve its objectives. The second section evaluated strategic planning and weighed whether the agency had established outcome-oriented annual and long-term goals. The third section rated the management of an agency's program, including the quality of efforts to improve efficiency. The fourth section assessed the results an agency's program was able to report with accuracy and consistency. Debates over PART program effectiveness ratings also raised unanticipated consequences. A number of observers have pointed out some fundamental problems with PART program assessments, including whether Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was acting as both judge and jury with respect to agency performance.
