Federal Manager's Daily Report

OPM has issued further guidance on complying with the 2015 Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act, which was aimed at improving IT, cybersecurity and other cyber-related capabilities in agency workforces.

By the end of this month, agencies should have identified and coded those positions, using work roles described in the Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, a memo said. “The next step is for agencies to determine the work roles of critical need in their workforce” over the next year, it said.

The guidance defines “critical need” roles as those where agencies have the greatest skills shortages in terms of staffing levels and/or proficiency or competency levels; or emerging shortages. Also to be reported are positions that are critical to meeting the agency’s most significant organizational missions, priorities and challenges.

Agencies further are to determine the root causes of shortages–including factors such as the talent pipeline, recruitment and outreach, hiring procedures, retention, development and training, performance management and resources–and develop an action plan with metrics and targets to address them.

The first such report is required next April, with annual reports thereafter. OPM said that based on those reports, it “will identify common needs to address from the governmentwide perspective.”