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Weaknesses in the Defense Department's business enterprise architecture remain unaddressed, hindering the department's modernization efforts, according a report from congressional auditors.

The Government Accountability Office found that after four years and about $318 million in expenses, the Pentagon failed to establish an effective architecture that would help the department modernize its businesses systems and eliminate duplicative operations.

The military has failed to fulfill a requirement in the fiscal 2005 Defense Authorization Act that directed the department to establish a transition plan and a precise architecture for its business systems by September 2005, the GAO report states.

Recommendations by GAO over the last four years that were intended to help the Pentagon correct its management weaknesses also have been unfulfilled, according to the report.

The 69-page report (GAO-05-702) was sent to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees Friday.

In response to the concerns raised in the report, the Pentagon told GAO that it will have an approved plan for an enterprise architecture program by Sept. 30.

The Pentagon's business systems modernization efforts have been on GAO's high-risk list since 1995.

The report criticized entities given the responsibility for establishing the department's enterprise architecture, stating that one met only four times in four years and another did not include the military services in its deliberations.

To address the matter, the Pentagon has established a new enterprise architecture group, the Defense Business Systems Management Committee, chaired by the deputy Defense secretary.

The committee will replace executive and steering committees that previously held governance responsibilities and will serve as the highest ranking body overseeing the department's business transformation. The team will consist of senior leadership from across the department, including agency chiefs, service secretaries and principal staff assistants.

COMMENTS

• " entities given the responsibility for establishing the department's enterprise architecture, stating that one met only four times in four years and another did not include the military services in its deliberations. " This is typical DoD method of operation. It is not just BMMP but in everything DoD does. Even if they include the services in the deliberations, they ignore the input and go ahead with their desires anyway. Meeting with the services just allows them to say everyone had a chance for input now do it our way! BMMP meetings are worthless and the DoD managers running them do not know enough about the subject they are working to develop the proper methodology. They cannot even evaluate the input from those most qualified to provide it! Even when they recognize a problems they ignore it and charge ahead. When facing a situation they cannot explain to their desired outcome they simply say whatever and table the discussion for a later meeting that never takes place. GAO has discovered incompetent managers in the DoD structure-boy what a surprise! And these are the people that are going to run pay for performance! BMMP Posted July 27, 2005 6:38 AM
• Oh, good grief. If the body is plagued by a cancer, how can one arm be cured? The management problem is the result of years of favoritism and empire building by an entrenched good ole boy system. Instead of placing qualified and competent personnel in management positions, OPM just ignored the agencies and let them pick whomever they preferred. That was usually the good buddies in house. Instead of recruiting qualified, well educated managers from outside of the government, OPM would post the positions as if they had intent and then fill them from inside, often with very unqualified personnel. Then, instead of measuring the performance of management against a reasonable standard, they let the different offices write their own requirements. How often has any manager been removed from their position for failing to perform? Instead of demanding performance, the different DOD agencies just kept lowering the bar. The Pentagon has no right to play ignorant. They know exactly what the problem is. They are the cause of it. They have done nothing about it for decades. So now, just like in an incestuous family, the deformities have become hideous and impossible to hide. Where do the firings have to start to bring real improvement? Robert M. Posted July 26, 2005 8:40 AM