ROMA is an approach to management which builds accountability into the daily activities of

employees and the daily operations of an organization. ROMA is an avenue for organizations to continually evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and plot a course for improvements in agency capacity and performance. ROMA is also the common language for members of the Community Action Network to use to respond to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 (which requires that federally funded programs demonstrate measurable outcomes).

In August of 1994, Donald Sykes, the Director of the Office of Community Services (OCS), chartered the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Monitoring and Assessment Task Force. The task force created six broad goals and a list of direct measures for members of the Community Action Network to use when responding to GPRA. A detailed version of the new 1999 goals and measures is also available. Two goals speak about family level outcomes, two goals address community level outcomes, and two goals specify agency level outcomes:
 

NATIONAL GOALS OF COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCIES

• Goal 1: Low-Income People Become More Self-Sufficient. (Family level)

• Goal 2: The Conditions in which Low- Income People Live Are Improved. (Community level)

• Goal 3: Low-Income People Own a Stake in Their Community. (Community level)

• Goal 4: Partnerships Among Supporters and Providers of Services to Low-Income People are Achieved. (Agency level)

• Goal 5: Agencies Increase Their Capacity to Achieve Results. (Agency level)

• Goal 6: Low-Income People, especially Vulnerable Populations, Achieve Their Potential by Strengthening Family and Other Supportive Systems. (Family level)