OMB offers paperwork reduction guidance on its previous guidance

New guidance from the Office of Management and Budget tells agencies use a "Fast Track Process" to minimize the paperwork that could result from compliance with a previous OMB mandate.

The process, say OMB officials, will allow agencies to comply with an April 27 executive order by obtaining timely feedback on "customer service" while meeting the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, according to an OMB memo (.pdf) sent to agency and department heads June 15.

The initial EO required agencies to create, within 180 days of the mandate, a plan to improve "customer service," including a "signature initiative" that uses technology to improve the "customer experience," i.e., interactions with members of the public.

The Fast Track method, as outlined in the memo from Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein and Budget Deputy Director for Management Jeffery Zients, is not limited to paper or online feedback. It also encourages the use of focus groups and other in-person studies.

Information relating to the Fast Track process is available on HowTo.gov, including guidance on choosing customer feedback tools and feedback collection methods.

The memo includes a list of agencies that have been approved or will soon be approved by OMB for a "generic clearance establishing the Fast Track Process" of information collection. 

For more:
- go to the OMB memoranda on the "New Fast-Track Process for Collecting Service Delivery Feedback Under the Paperwork Reduction Act" (.pdf)
- go to the April 27 executive order on "Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service"

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