9: Integrated Program Teams
Require integrated program teams Other Information:
A primary challenge impacting the successful delivery of IT programs is the need to manage a broad set of stakeholder communities,
including agency leaders, business process owners, IT, acquisition, financial management, and legal. The typically siloed
nature of government stakeholder communities is ill-suited for the multi-disciplinary and rapidly evolving needs of major
IT program management processes. High-performing private sector firms quickly bring together small multi-disciplinary, integrated
program teams (IPTs) consisting of the following functions: business process owners who have a clear vision of the problem
they are solving, IT professionals who understand the full range of technical solutions, acquisition professionals who plan
and procure needed labor and materials, and finance staff to secure required funding. In addition, other functions such as
HR and legal are included on the program team as needed. At the hub of these IPTs is a strong and effective program manager
who stewards the process from beginning to end. Examples of high-functioning IPTs exist in pockets of the Federal Government
in which a complete IPT is required for major programs prior to beginning the investment review process. However, the practice
is still only unevenly applied. The healthcare.gov initiative at the Department of Health and Human Services provides a good
example of what a fully integrated multi-disciplinary team can do in the Federal Government. The healthcare.gov team successfully
launched a citizen-facing website within 90 days of program initiation to rave reviews. Over the next six months, OMB will
issue guidance requiring an IPT, led by a dedicated, full-time program manager and supported by an IT acquisition specialist,
be in place for all major IT programs before OMB will approve program budgets.
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