The Veterans Affairs department is holding true to its promise to improve oversight of information technology investments, the General Accounting Office told Congress Thursday.
GAO reported in 1998 that the agency had an efficient process in place for evaluating technology investments, but just didn't execute that process very well. Now things are looking up, said Joel C. Willemssen, director of civil agencies information systems at GAO, in testimony prepared for a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Among the improvements, VA has beefed up the criteria it uses to choose which technology projects to invest in. Agency leaders now base their decisions on a project's expected impact on customer service, its return on taxpayer investment, its contribution to an efficient workforce, and its risks and alternatives.
"The proposals submitted for the fiscal years 2000 and 2001 reviews were much more complete than those submitted for the fiscal year 1999 investment planning process," Willemssen said. In fiscal 2000, for example, "all seven of the proposals that passed VA's review had the required information, including cost-benefit analysis, risk analysis and alternatives analysis."
VA no longer is is waiting for something to go wrong before addressing problems, GAO reported. Investment reviews are more routine and are based on project managers' assessments of whether investments are on schedule, within their budgets and performing as planned. GAO also said VA is doing a better job of investment follow-up. When big technology investments are completed, the agency now follows up with a final report detailing whether or not it met its goals, a practice that allows VA to learn from its mistakes.
Like most federal agencies, though, VA has its share of IT headaches. The agency's IT systems aren't integrated and three of its major IT programs aren't yet fully operational, Willemssen reported.
VA's acting-and outgoing-chief information officer, Harold F. Gracey, Jr., testified for the record that his department is trying to use technology to create a single entry point to the department for veterans.
"Traditionally VA has used information technology to automate processes within lines of business, but not across them," he said. But a new strategic plan and an IT architecture based on departmentwide needs might change all of that, he added.
"I will not be satisfied until we have in place systems that support the provision of seamless, world-class service to every veteran who comes to VA," Gracey said.
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