OPM's plan to upgrade federal employee data

The Office of Personnel Management wants to better use data as a resource the agency said in a new data strategy.

The agency paired the strategy's release with a new, redesigned online Data Portal and data dashboards on the cyber workforce and the government's annual survey of federal workers called the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey on Wednesday. 

"OPM is poised to be recognized as a premiere provider of human capital data services by building innovative service delivery models, analytics, and digital solutions that enable federal agencies to make better decisions," said the agency's head, Kiran Ahuja, in a statement. 

OPM wants not only to revamp how it collects and uses data within its own agency, but also improve data skills and culture across the federal government writ large, according to the strategy, which covers fiscal years 2023 to 2026. 

The strategy has four focus areas: data culture, human capital data products, technology modernization and data governance. 

The government's HR agency has plans to improve data skills across the government through governmentwide hiring actions and a framework for data competencies, it says. OPM also says that it will be making a human capital data working group within the Chief Human Capital Officers Council.

One goal: achieve a "360 view" of across the employee lifecycle "to inform workforce planning and improve the employee experience," the strategy states. OPM says that it'll do this by "enabling traceability across the employee life cycle through a federal employee master record" that connects employee records across systems. 

The agency also wants to modernize its infrastructure around its human capital data, including aging data platforms, and develop a scalable, cloud-based analytics platform with advanced automation and integrated data from agencies and industry.