Name of Information Collection: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION:

Notice of information collection.

SUMMARY:

NASA, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

DATES:

Comments are due by August 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and search for NASA Docket NASA-2024-0005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to NASA PRA Clearance Officer, Stayce Hoult, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, JC0000, Washington, DC 20546, phone 256-714-8575, or email hq-ocio-pra-program@mail.nasa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The proposed information collection activity provides a means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and expectations; provide an early warning of issues with service; or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management.

The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: timeliness; appropriateness; accuracy of information; courtesy; efficiency of service delivery; and resolution of issues with service delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.

Authority: NASA is committed to effectively performing the Agency's communication function in accordance with the Space Act Section 203(a)(3) to “provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof,” and to enhance public understanding of, and participation in, the nation's aeronautical and space program in accordance with the NASA Strategic Plan.

II. Methods of Collection

The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:

The collections are voluntary;

The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;

The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;

Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future;

Information gathered will only be used internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the Agency;

Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; and

Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study.

Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target population to which generalizations will be made; the sampling frame; the sample design (including stratification and clustering); the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size; the expected response rate; methods for assessing potential non-response bias; the protocols for data collection; and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

As a general matter, information collections will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

III. Data

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

OMB Number: 2700-0153.

Type of review: Extension of approval for a collection of information.

Affected Public: Federal Government; Individuals and Households; Businesses and Organization; State, Local, or Tribal Government.

Estimated Annual Number of Activities: 70.

Estimated Number of Respondents per Activity: 2,000.

Annual Responses: 140,000.

Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 16,800.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of NASA, including whether the information collected has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of NASA's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection. They will also become a matter of public record.