The Work Measurement System of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Has Potential but Needs Further Work to Increase Its Reliability

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began developing a system for work measurement standards in 1972, in order to establish a basis for manpower requirements for budget submissions and allocation of personnel.

HUD's original claims of extensive standards were not justified, as revised statements showed that standards were used to develop estimates for only about 42% of staff requirements. The reliability of standards varied because of weaknesses such as: (1) lack of studies on methods for achieving work efficiency, (2) variation in data produced by the questionnaire/interview procedures, (3) insufficient definition of tasks, (4) use of subjective judgments, (5) lack of documentation, and (6) lack of procedures to review and update standards. Discrepancies were noted in workload forecasts with some appearing excessive and some being understated when compared with prior years' accomplishments. The budgeting process seemed to inhibit reliable staffing estimates and led to use of contract personnel.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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