The challenge faced by EPA and other agencies in using such measures is
that there is not always a clear link between specific human capital
strategies and strategic programmatic outcomes. This is partly because
there may be multiple causes of a specific outcome, only one of which
is related to a targeted human capital strategy, and unforeseen
circumstances that affect implementation of a strategy. Our recent
testimony on human capital challenges at the SEC and key trade agencies
illustrates the practical difficulties that agencies may
encounter.[Footnote 30] We testified that during 2001, U.S. trade
agencies increased staff levels to address insufficient monitoring and
enforcement of trade agreements. However, we noted that measuring the
effectiveness of this strategy might be difficult because the agencies'
workloads in other areas continue to grow, which could cause them to
shift resources intended for trade compliance to other program
areas.[Footnote 31] If shifts in resources occur, the agencies may not
be able to improve the effectiveness of trade compliance efforts, even
though the human capital strategy initially succeeded in acquiring
additional resources.