You have a contract in place, but is your program performing up to expectations? Is your vendor meeting program objectives and providing value for your investment?

Answers to these questions lie in a thorough review of the status of your program in the context of your operating environment. Before you can figure out where your program needs to go, you need to know where it is right now -- what's working well, what isn't, and why. You want to know how your program stacks up, not only in terms of your vendor's performance against contract objectives and metrics, but also in terms of your organizational mission; governing structure, policies, and processes; regulatory and budget imperatives; workforce capabilities; and workflow processes.

This program review should include an environmental scan that addresses your internal operations, as well as a review of leading practices from other Federal agencies and commercial firms that have had demonstrated success with major programs of comparable scope and complexity. Additional factors that contribute to an understanding of your program's status include the expectations of external stakeholders, such as DoD, OMB, GAO, Congress, and the American taxpayer.

You'll want to assess compliance to determine whether your program is operating within the bounds of applicable Federal and agency policy and guidance. And you'll need to identify and analyze any gaps between how your program is performing now and how it should be -- these gaps become the building-blocks of an action plan for achieving the desired "to be" state.

The hallmarks of a meaningful review of your program's status include methodical collection, rigorous analysis, and straightforward reporting of information related to all of these elements and more, giving you an accurate picture of where your program stands.

Armed with an accurate assessment of your program's current status, you'll be able to map out realistic baselines to help ensure your program meets your goals and objectives.