4.1: Large-Scale IT
Fixing Large-Scale IT Management Other Information:
To achieve sustained improvement in government performance, we have to fundamentally change the way the Federal Government
manages IT projects. Our first step was to launch the IT Dashboard which enables agency leaders (and the public at large)
to monitor the performance of all Federal IT projects, identify projects that are over budget or off schedule, and take corrective
action. The Federal CIO uses the IT Dashboard to inform rigorous reviews called “TechStat Sessions” of the highest-risk IT
projects across the Federal Government. During these sessions, agencies present improvement plans for projects that are behind
schedule or over budget. If serious problems are identified and cannot be corrected, the Federal CIO and his team work with
agencies to take the necessary actions, up to and including project termination. We have conducted more than 30 review sessions
with agencies, which have produced results including the halt of the development of a $64.5 million duplicative export control
system at the Department of Commerce and an 80 percent reduction in the cost per ID card at the Small Business Administration.
We also launched an aggressive reform of financial system modernization projects. Because these projects have been particularly
problematic, we directed that executive departments and agencies refrain from issuing new task orders or procurements for
all financial system modernization projects. This halt will remain in place for each project until agencies significantly
reduce the size, cost, and complexity of each project to increase the likelihood of success. Consistent with this approach,
the Department of Veterans Affairs recently terminated a financial system modernization project, saving $300 million. Finally,
across the next two months, we will pull together the learning from these TechStat sessions and financial system reviews,
along with best practices from the private sector and advice from experts within and outside government, to develop a new
framework for the Federal Government’s IT procurement and management practices. This framework will include guidelines for
establishing clear requirements at project inception, higher standards for project management practices and personnel, additional
mechanisms for holding managers accountable for project results, and the elimination of outdated and cumbersome rules.
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