§2803 Performance Plans

Summary

The Postal Service must prepare an annual performance plan for every program in its budget and include that plan in the comprehensive statement required under section 2401(e). The plan must set clear performance goals, use objective and measurable targets when possible, describe the operations, skills, technology, and resources needed, name the indicators it will use to measure outputs, service levels, and outcomes, show how to compare actual results to the goals, and say how the measurements will be checked for accuracy. If a program’s goals cannot be made measurable, the Postal Service can use an alternative. That alternative must either give two clear descriptions—a minimally effective program and a successful program—detailed enough to judge performance, or explain why no goal form is practical. The Postal Service can combine or split program items for planning, but it cannot hide or downplay any major function. It can also make a non-public annex for parts that would harm criminal prosecutions or are exempt from disclosure under section 410(c).