Case Study 19: From 2010 Census, GAO-10-59, November 13, 2009

To carry out the decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a sequence of thousands of activities and numerous operations. As requested by the Congress, we examined its use of (1) scheduling tools to maintain and monitor progress and (2) two control systems key to field data collection—one to manage the work flow for paper-based operations, including nonresponse follow-up, and the other to manage quality control for two major field operations. We applied schedule analysis tools; reviewed the Bureau’s evaluations, planning documents, and other documents on work flow management; and interviewed Bureau officials.

We found that as the Bureau carries out the census, its master schedule provides a useful tool to gauge progress, identify and address potential problems, and promote accountability. We also found that the Bureau’s use of its master schedule generally follows leading scheduling practices, which allow such high-level oversight. However, the errors we found in the Bureau’s master schedule were hindering its ability to identify the effects of activity delays and to plan for the unexpected.