About DCIPS
Click here for more information regarding the evolution of DCIPS:
DCIPS Evolution Timeline
What is it?
The Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS), formerly known
as the Civilian Intelligence Personnel Management System (CIPMS), is a Title
10 Excepted Service Human Capital System and is jointly managed by the
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (ASA (M&RA)),
and Headquarter Department of the Army (HQDA), Office of the Deputy Chief of
Staff (ODCS) G-2, Intelligence Personnel management Office (IPMO). DCIPS is an enterprise
Intelligence Community (IC) personnel system that is a mission-focused and
founded in Army policies that support employee performance, career
development opportunities, awards and recognition. DCIPS offers Army
Leadership the flexibility to hire employees across the IC and promotes a
culture that is based upon employee performance.
Background
DCIPS was authorized in the FY 1997 Intelligence Authorization Act, but the
flexibilities it contained took on new urgency following the 11 September
2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Both the 9/11
Commission and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission reports that were
prepared following 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq identified disparate
personnel policies within the Intelligence Community as a contributing
factor in the perpetuation of a culture that eschewed collaboration across
organizational boundaries. Following from those reports, and separate
Congressional hearings and investigations, the Intelligence Reform and
Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 was enacted, creating the Director
of the national Intelligence, (DNI) and
directing that the DNI issue personnel regulations that would support and
reinforce the Act’s mandate to unify the IC were issued.
Since the creation of the DNI, the Defense Department and the Office of the
DNI (ODNI) have worked collaboratively on the development of a common human
capital policy framework that would support unification of the IC, with
DCIPS as the embodiment of what has become known as the National
Intelligence Civilian Compensation Program (NICCP) framework within the
Defense Intelligence Enterprise. DCIPS continues to provide the common
policy framework and uniform performance management approach that underpin
the DNI’s and the Secretary of Defense’s (SECDEF’s) mandate to unify the IC
in support of the national security mission.
The Army converted to pay bands in 2009. While policies, guidance and
training were made available to Army DCIPS employees, there were concerns
about the quality, quantity and consistency of training and messaging, often
varying by command and/or geographic location.
In January 2010, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) was
engaged to conduct a review of DCIPS. The National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA FY2010) directed the review and at the same time
suspended certain pay authorities, including the base‐pay setting portions
related to performance until 31 December 2010. The NAPA report
(http://dcips.dtic.mil) was delivered in June 2010 and found that the design
of DCIPS was fundamentally sound but noted that implementation had been
flawed. It addressed in detail DCIPS design, implementation and impact, and
made 25 recommendations.
On 3 August 2010, the SECDEF informed Congress that he had considered the
NAPA findings and recommendations, and would implement several of them, but
would not accept their recommendation to move forward with implementation of
the DCIPS policies linking employee base pay increases to performance in the
Defense Intelligence Enterprise (except within the National
Geospatial‐Intelligence Agency that had been operating under pay for
performance for over a decade). As a result, the Army which had already
converted to the DCIPS pay‐for‐performance banded structure, would need to
transition to a General Schedule–like grade structure overlaid onto the
DCIPS policy framework. In his accompanying action plan, the SECDEF directed
the implementation of the following NAPA recommendations:
- Complete and disseminate all DCIPS governing policies in the context of his
decision.
- Prepare and publish a comprehensive change management plan.
- Establish a Program Office within the office of the USD(I) (OUSD(I)) with
overall responsibility for implementation of DCIPS within the Department of
Defense.
- Address performance management.
- Conduct and assess equity analysis.
- Provide regularized oversight and reporting.
DCIPS is currently operating in the Army, with DCIPS Interim policies in
place. DCIPS Interim policies provided an alternative policy for pay issues
during the NDAA mandated suspension of certain pay authorities. While the
suspension period has ended, USD(I) and the Army have decided to continue
under DCIPS Interim policies until transition to DCIPS grades has occurred.