HRStat is a strategic human capital performance evaluation process that identifies, measures, and analyzes human capital data to inform the impact of an agency’s human capital management on organizational results with the intent to improve human capital outcomes.  HRStat is a component of an agency’s strategic planning and alignment and evaluation systems that are part of the Human Capital Framework. HRStat is a key element of 5 CFR 250 (B) in which agencies should use data from their Human Capital Operating Plan (HCOP) such as closing skills gaps, administration priorities and agency-specific measures aligned to their strategic objectives to monitor progress through quarterly data-driven reviews.

The quarterly review process is managed by agencies to identify and monitor human capital measures and targets that inform the progress agencies are making towards meeting their agency specific goals. The outcomes from the reviews should report the approach agencies take for corrective actions in areas for which they are not making substantial progress.

HRStat is a robust data analysis process and an organizational development tool that cultivates partnerships between stakeholders within agencies who may not have previously partnered to develop, implement and monitor human capital strategies together.

On April 26, 2013, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director, Elaine Kaplan, in a memorandum to Chief Human Capital Officers, introduced HRStat to the federal human capital community as:

…[a] complement to… [Chief Operating Officer] COO-led reviews of progress on agency goals, OPM is pilot testing a new approach to quarterly reviews of agency human capital progress called “HRStat.”  Under HRStat, CHCOs convene quarterly reviews on key human capital goals. The HRStat sessions allow for review of key human capital metrics relevant to an agency’s general HR goals and in-depth analysis of HR problems for the goals that are the subject of the COO’s quarterly performance reviews.  The quarterly HRStat meetings are intended to enable quick course correction, if needed, to assure progress is being made.

During the years 2012-2014, OPM conducted a three year HRStat Pilot Program to guide federal agencies in the effective application of HRStat to a variety of human capital processes, operations, and problem-solving efforts.  The design of the HRStat Pilot Program was a collaborative effort between OPM and OMB.  The pilot program’s goal was to establish data-driven reviews in the human capital domain that replicated OMB’s Performance Improvement Council’s (PIC) data-driven performance reviews required under the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA). These were self-assessment surveys to help determine whether the agencies had met the requirements of the HRStat Pilot Program. Six months after each agency cohort completed their HRStat Pilot year, OPM assessed the maturity levels of the agencies vis-à-vis their progress in establishing HRStat in their agencies.   

In June of 2014, OPM launched the HRStat Community of Practice (CoP) as an initiative among the HRStat agencies and OPM to collaborate toward government-wide implementation of HRStat through guidance, assistance and training.  The CoP provides a forum where CoP members communicate, collaborate, innovate, and address current and future needs within the HRStat community.

For more information on HRstat or the HRStat Community of Practice please contact OPM at workforce@opm.gov  

The HRStat Maturity Model (see Figure 1) is a diagnostic framework designed to assess the maturity level of an agency’s HRStat program, and how the HRStat process contributes to the advancement of an agency’s mission, goals, and objectives. The Maturity Model serves as a practical and aspirational roadmap that will help agencies identify areas for improvement and enable them to monitor their progress over time.

The HRStat Maturity Model is conceptualized in terms of three components: Scope of Impact, Initiative and Effort, and Performance of HRStat Measures. Scope of Impact measures the degree to which human capital metrics have progressed from the use of data solely for human resource functions to a state in which the metrics are integrated into the measurement of agency mission accomplishment. Initiative and Effort measures the degree to which an agency has developed the capacity to use human capital data to inform decision-making across the agency. Initiative and Effort describes the evolution from descriptive use of data to an optimized state where performance improvement and innovation are achieved. Performance of HRStat measures the degree to which an agency’s metrics are in fact advancing to achieve targeted improvements and are validated against external benchmarks.

For each of these three components, there are four maturity levels (reactive, emerging, advanced, optimized). In describing the four maturity levels, the HRStat Maturity Model designates five domains of consideration: analytics, technology, talent/staff, collaboration, and leadership (See Appendices A through E in the HRStat Guidance).

The HRStat Maturity Model Assessment Tool (MMAT) was developed to help agencies and OPM assess an agency’s progression on the HRStat Maturity Model, and to focus attention on specific areas of strength and improvement. This information can help agencies and OPM determine what guidance, education, training, tools, mentoring, interagency partnerships and sharing of resources would enhance agencies’ use of the HRStat process to achieve greater human capital and agency performance outcomes.  

The tool contains a series of 23 multiple choice questions designed to gauge the agencies’ maturity level in each of the five domains of the HRStat Maturity Model —analytics, technology, talent/staff, collaboration, and leadership. 

The responses to these questions are then scored and coded to help determine the agencies’ level of maturity as defined in the HRStat Maturity Model. To support the 23 quantifiable question items are 5 open-ended questions designed to capture qualitative and narrative information about the agencies’ specific activities pertinent to HRStat

Agencies that complete the MMAT will be provided a Key Findings Report that includes detailed assessment scores, benchmark scores, tailored guidance for improvement, and, if the agency requests, a private consultative meeting with OPM’s HRStat team of mentors aimed at assisting the agency in making improvements in their HRStat process. 

The MMAT assessment tool can be found by clicking on the MMAT icon on the right side of the page.

More information on the scoring and questions can be found in the MMAT sample report.