OMB reports progress in IT management

A new Office of Management and Budget report gives agencies positive marks for making strong business cases for information technology projects, but identifies an increasing number of high-risk initiatives.

The report shows that the number of IT business cases on the OMB management watch list dropped from 346 as of December 31, 2006, to 183 as of March 31, 2007.

Business cases for IT investments end up on the list if OMB officials find one or more weaknesses. The plans -- required under the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act -- are then targeted for follow-up so that potential problems can be corrected before the project begins.

Plans are dropped from the list once agencies demonstrate through additional documentation and information on planning that they have addressed the problems.

Meanwhile, the number of projects on a separate "high risk" list jumped from 477 to 549 during the first quarter of 2007 (from Dec. 31, 2006, to March 31, 2007). According to OMB, the high-risk designations have increased because agencies are doing a better job of overseeing projects.

Placements on the high risk list, established by OMB in August 2005, are determined by projects' complexity or level of importance. The 549 initiatives on the list represent about $12.9 billion in projected IT spending for fiscal 2008. OMB has decided they need attention from "the highest level of agency management," but in a statement, noted they are not necessarily at risk for failure.

- Daniel Pulliam, GovExec.com

Notable Projects Included on the Watch List:

USDA
Human Resources Line of Business: Service Center
Farm Program Modernization (MIDAS)

ED
Grants Administration Payment System (GAPS)
Travel Management System (TMS)
Contracts and Purchasing Support System (CPSS)
Budget Formulation and Execution Line of Business
Federal Student Aid Financial Management System (FSA FMS)

HHS
HHS Consolidated Acquisition System

DHS
DHS - Financial Management Transformation (2008)
FEMA -Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) (2008)

DOL
OCFO - DOL Labor Executive Accountability Program

DOT
DOTXX071: DOT eGrants Consolidation

Treasury
Financial Analysis & Reporting System (FARS) Applications -Major
Debt Management Accounting System (DMAS)
Oracle e-Business Suite
Travel Reimbursement and Accounting System
Financial Management Information System (FMIS)
Integrated Financial System/CORE Financial System (IFS)
OCC ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS

VA
VA-Wide e-Travel Solution-2008
Financial & Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise (FLITE)-2008
Financial Management System (FMS)-2008
Payroll/HR Systems-2008
Capital Asset Management System-2008

NASA
NASA Integrated Enterprise Management - Core Financial
NASA Integrated Enterprise Management - Integrated Asset Management

NRC
Budget Formulation Application (BFA)
License Fee Billing System Replacement (Fees System Replacement)
Human Resources Management System (HRMS)
License Fee Billing System (Fees System)
Cost Accounting System (CAS)

OPM
Human Resources Line of Business (HR LOB)

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