‘‘The concept behind NSPS had merit, but it took too much time to administer.”

‘‘No system, NSPS or the current systemcan work without first addressing the underlying issues ...”

These are just a few of the comments postedonline in response to an article by GovernmentExecutive.com reporter Alex Parker on Oct. 28. In addition to the blunt pro and con remarks, some voiced support of a pay-for-performance system but they wanted to see a more simplified and transparent solution.

There has been a lot of talk lately about transparency of government and as I read a lot of the comments that people I was amazed at the distrust many expressed regarding the pay pool process. The fact that supervisors aren’t allowed to discuss their assessments of an employee until after the pay pool panel has convened leaves people to form their own opinions about the panel’s purpose in the process. In a transparent system, I’d write my self-appraisal and my supervisor would write his then we would meet to discuss any discrepancies. He would then forward his rating to the board for final review.

Simplicity is a beautiful thing. As a youngMarine learning the craft of journalism, I was taught the acronym KISS: Keep it simple stupid. My instructor’s goal was to teach me to not only use words my readers could define but also to present the information in a clear and concise manner. That seems to have been the biggest issue with NSPS: It seems the program was neither clear nor concise. The training packages consisted of more than 100 slides that new employees (those who joined the workforce after the instructor-lead training was completed) were left to digest on their own.

I’m no stranger to performance evaluation systems or changes to such systems. I was on active duty when the Marine Corps transitioned from the old Fitness Report to the initial version of today’s PES. The transition wasn’t without glitches or hiccups, but the system succeeded. Additionally, I worked in the private sector for a few years after separating from theMarine Corps, and the performance appraisals the company used were perhaps the best I’ve ever seen. The goals wereclearly defined and there were systems in place that allowed my manager to track my performance with a few simplereports. Each goal was tied to a specific function or responsibility; we didn’t try to roll everyaspect of my job into one or two objectives.

I hope the objective setting and counseling won’t disappear when we’re transitioned into whatever is next. As ‘‘FedUpFed” posted on GovExec.com, ‘‘Don’t celebrate yet. Stand by for NSPS 2.0.”