Information Technology: Additional Executive Review Sessions Needed to Address Troubled Projects

Abstract

While IT investments have the potential to make organizations more efficient, many federal IT projects experience cost overruns, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls. To help address these shortfalls, OMB established TechStats face-to-face meetings to terminate or turnaround IT investments that are failing or are not producing results. GAO was asked to evaluate the implementation of TechStats. GAOs objectives were to (1) identify key characteristics of TechStats held to date; (2) evaluate whether selected agencies are conducting TechStats in accordance with OMB guidance, and (3) analyze the extent to which reported TechStat results are tracked and validated. To do so, GAO selected four agencies Agriculture, Commerce, HHS, and DHS because these were the agencies with the highest number of at-risk investments. GAO analyzed OMB and agency documentation, compared agency processes to TechStat guidance, compared efforts to validate reported outcomes to leading practices, and interviewed OMB and agency officials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2013
Accession Number
AD1178797

Entities

People

  • Colleen Phillips
  • David A. Powner
  • Jessica Waselkow
  • Kate Feild
  • Rebecca Eyler

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Agriculture
  • Business Administration
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Control Systems
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Department Of State
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Federal Budgets
  • Governments
  • Information Systems
  • Infrastructure
  • Intelligence Community (United States)
  • International Trade
  • Investments
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Health
  • Radar
  • Supply Chain Management
  • United States Government

Readers

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  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.