USPS Office of Inspector General

In a world increasingly driven by digitized information, the ability to harness data for business objectives becomes almost a requirement to keep operations moving efficiently. That’s a big reason why the U.S. Postal Service started deploying the Informed Visibility (IV) system six years ago. By centralizing information from numerous USPS data systems and a variety of mail processing equipment, IV provides Postal Service management with near-real-time visibility into the movement of mail through the postal network.

Sometimes our auditors look at specific incidents or facilities. Other times, especially when concerns are raised, we examine broader, more systemic issues. So, what did we do when more than 70 members of Congress asked us to look into the persistent declines in on-time mail delivery in 17 postal districts? We opened one heck of an audit.

In the best of circumstances, the peak mailing season — typically from November to January — puts the U.S. Postal Service’s network to the test with higher volumes of mail and packages. Add in the effects of the pandemic — namely, increased package volume and decreased employee availability at the processing plant — and you’ve got more volume than the plants can handle.