2020 CENSUS

Prioritized Information 

Technology Research 

and Testing Is 

Needed for Census 

Design Decisions

Report to the Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs, 

U.S. Senate

April 2014

GAO-14-389

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-14-389, a report to the 

Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

April 2014

2020 CENSUS

Prioritized Information Technology Research and 

Testing Is Needed for Census Design Decisions

Why GAO Did This Study

One of the most important functions of 

the U.S. Census Bureau is conducting 

the decennial census, which is 

mandated by the Constitution and 

provides vital data for the nation. This 

is a major undertaking, and the Bureau 

increasingly relies on IT to support the 

operational design and execution of 

the census. For the 2020 Decennial 

Census, the Bureau is planning 

significant changes to the methods and 

technologies it uses to conduct the 

census. However, it has not previously 

used many of these methods at the 

scale being considered for 2020, which 

adds a large degree of risk.

GAO was asked to review the Bureau’s 

IT-related efforts for the 2020 census. 

GAO’s objectives were to determine 

(1) progress in researching and testing 

IT options to support design decisions 

for the census, (2) key IT risks facing 

the census and evaluate the Bureau’s 

efforts to mitigate them, and (3) 

progress in implementing prior GAO 

recommendations related to IT 

management and information security. 

To do this, GAO reviewed Bureau 

plans, schedules, risk data, and other 

documentation and interviewed 

relevant officials. 

What GAO Recommends

GAO is recommending that the 

Department of Commerce’s Census 

Bureau prioritize its IT-related research 

and testing projects that it needs to 

complete to support the design 

decision and develop project 

schedules and plans to reflect the new 

prioritized approach. The Department 

of Commerce concurred with GAO’s 

recommendations and noted that it had 

actions under way to address them.

What GAO Found

The Census Bureau (Bureau) has made progress in researching and testing 

information technology (IT) options for the 2020 Decennial Census, but several of 

the supporting projects lack schedules and plans, and it is uncertain whether they 

will be completed in time to inform the decision on the operational design for the 

2020 census, planned for September 2015. Specifically, it has begun research

on six IT-related projects, such as using the Internet for survey response and 

using employees’ personal smartphones to collect census data. However, four of 

the projects lacked finalized schedules, and three lacked plans for gauging 

progress. Moreover, the two projects with completed schedules are not estimated 

to be completed until after the September 2015 design decision date (see figure).

Original and Tentative Revised Schedules for 2020 Decennial Census Design Decision

Further, contrary to industry best practices, the Bureau has not prioritized its 

projects to determine which are the most important to complete before the 

decision. Officials stated that they are working with project teams to determine 

what needs to be completed and by when to support the design decision, but as 

of December 2013 they had not specified when this would be completed. Without 

prioritizing its projects and establishing schedules and plans, the Bureau risks not 

making a timely and well-informed design decision for the 2020 census.

The Bureau has identified key IT-related risks facing the 2020 Decennial Census 

program but has not consistently developed mitigation plans for all of them. As of 

October 2013, officials identified 77 program and project risks, with 7 of these 

identified as critical. However, 6 of these risks, including 1 critical risk, did not 

have mitigation plans, as called for by industry best practices and previously 

recommended by GAO. Officials acknowledged that they had not been 

disciplined about documenting mitigation plans for all risks. Until the Bureau 

ensures that all risks have mitigation plans, the program will be vulnerable to 

risks being realized.

Of 21 outstanding GAO recommendations related to IT management and 

information security, the Bureau has implemented the majority. Specifically, 15 

have been fully implemented, 5 have been partially implemented, and 1 has not 

been implemented. Continued efforts to implement these recommendations will 

help ensure that the Bureau is able to deliver secure IT solutions on time and 

within budget. 

View GAO-14-389. For more information, 

contact Carol R. Cha at (202) 512-4456 or 

chac@gao.gov.
Page i GAO-14-389 Census IT Research and Testing

Letter 1

Conclusions 3

Recommendations for Executive Action 4

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 5

Appendix I Briefing for Staff Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs 7

Appendix II Comments from the Department of Commerce 76

Appendix III GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 78

Contents
Page ii GAO-14-389 Census IT Research and Testing

Abbreviations

ACS American Community Survey 

Bureau U.S. Census Bureau 

BYOD bring your own device

CMMI Capability Maturity Model® Integration

EIMP Enterprise Investment Management Plan 

ESDLC Enterprise System Development Life-Cycle

IT information technology

IVR Interactive Voice Response 

LCO Local Census Office 

PMBOK® Project Management Body of Knowledge 

PMI Project Management Institute

SEI Software Engineering Institute 

US-CERT United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

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necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
Page 1 GAO-14-389 Census IT Research and Testing

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

April 3, 2014

The Honorable Thomas R. Carper

Chairman

The Honorable Tom Coburn, M.D.

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

One of the U.S. Census Bureau’s (Bureau) most important functions is 

conducting the decennial census, which is mandated by the Constitution 

and provides data that are vital to the nation.1

Conducting the decennial census is a major undertaking, and the Bureau 

increasingly relies on information technology (IT) to support the 

operational design and execution of the enumeration. For the 2020 

Decennial Census, the Bureau plans to significantly change the methods 

and technology it uses to count the population. However, it has not 

previously used many of these methods at the scale being considered for 

2020, which adds a large degree of risk. In addition, we have previously 

identified weaknesses in the Bureau’s IT management, which have 

contributed to challenges in its acquisition and implementation of 

technology solutions to support the census.

The information collected is 

used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives, realign the 

boundaries of legislative districts, and allocate billions of dollars in federal 

financial assistance.

In light of the new technologies being considered for the 2020 Decennial 

Census, you asked us to review the Bureau’s IT-related efforts. The 

specific objectives of our review were to determine the Bureau’s (1) 

progress in researching and testing IT options to support the design 

decisions for the 2020 Decennial Census, (2) key IT risks facing the 2020 

Decennial Census and evaluate the adequacy of the Bureau’s efforts to 

mitigate them, and (3) progress in implementing prior GAO 

recommendations aimed at improving IT management and information 

security.

 1

The Census Bureau is part of the Department of Commerce, and its mission is to collect 

and provide comprehensive data about the nation’s people and economy.
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On January 30, 2014, we provided your staff with briefing materials that 

presented the results of our study. The purpose of this report is to publish 

the briefing slides and to officially transmit our results and 

recommendations to the Department of Commerce. The slides, which are 

included as appendix I of this report, also provide details on our scope 

and methodology.

We conducted this performance audit from May 2013 to April 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

In summary, the results of our review were as follows. The Bureau has 

made progress in researching and testing IT options for the 2020 

Decennial Census, but several of the supporting projects lack schedules 

and plans, and it is uncertain whether they will be completed in time to 

inform the decision on the operational design for the census, planned for 

September 2015. Specifically, the Bureau has begun research related to 

using the Internet for survey response and using Census employees’

personal smartphones to collect data. However, of the six IT-related 

research and testing projects under way, only two have finalized 

schedules, and neither of these projects plans to complete research in 

time to support the 2015 decision. Developing such schedules is a 

fundamental management tool for the effective use of public funds. 

Census program officials could not specify when the remaining schedules 

would be finalized.

In addition, only three of the six projects have project plans as called for 

by Bureau guidance to serve as the basis for monitoring performance. We 

had previously found that selected project plans were incomplete and 

recommended that the Bureau ensure they were completed. However, 

although the Bureau agreed to address these weaknesses, incomplete 

project plans remain. Officials stated they have begun to develop the 

missing plans but could not specify when they would be completed.

Given the uncertainty around plans and schedules for the research and 

testing projects, it is less likely they will be completed in time to inform the 

design decision. Moreover, the Bureau has not prioritized these projects 

to determine which are the most important to complete before the 

decision. This is inconsistent with industry practices, which call for 
Page 3 GAO-14-389 Census IT Research and Testing

prioritizing projects based on risk and funding. In December 2013, 2020 

Decennial Census program officials began meeting with project teams to 

determine what they need to complete and by when to support the design 

decision. However, they did not specify when this effort would be 

completed. Without prioritizing its IT-related research and testing projects 

and establishing schedules and project plans that are consistent with a 

prioritized approach, the Bureau risks not making a timely and wellinformed design decision for the 2020 Decennial Census.

The Bureau has identified key IT-related risks facing the 2020 Decennial 

Census program but has not consistently developed mitigation plans for 

all of them. As of October 2013, officials had identified a total of 77 ITrelated program and project risks, with 7 of these identified as being most 

critical to the program. Industry practices recommend that organizations 

develop risk mitigation plans, and we recommended over a year ago that 

the Bureau develop risk mitigation and contingency plans for all projects. 

However, 6 of the 77 identified risks did not have mitigation plans, 

including 1 of the 7 most critical risks. Program officials stated that they 

have not been disciplined about ensuring that projects consistently 

document risk mitigation plans. Until the Bureau ensures that all risks 

have mitigation plans, as we have previously recommended, the program 

will continue to be vulnerable to risks being realized.

Finally, the Bureau has implemented the majority of our 2012 and 2013 

recommendations aimed at improving IT management and information 

security. Specifically, of 21 outstanding recommendations—8 related to IT 

management and 13 public recommendations related to security—15 

have been fully implemented, 5 have been partially implemented, and 1 

has not been implemented. Continued momentum to fully implement 

these recommendations will better position the Bureau to deliver secure 

IT solutions on time and within budget.

The technology options the Bureau is exploring for 2020 have the 

potential to significantly reduce decennial costs. The results of the 

research and testing work on these options are expected to inform the 

2020 design decision. While certain activities for each of the six IT-related 

research and testing projects have been completed, much more work 

remains. Because the Bureau has either not developed or finalized most 

of its project schedules, the projects with defined schedules are not 

estimated to complete key activities in time to support the target design 

decision, and project plans to guide work and measure progress have not 

been completed for half of the projects, it is unlikely the remaining 

Conclusions
Page 4 GAO-14-389 Census IT Research and Testing

planned work will be completed in time to support the design decision in 

fiscal year 2015. A delayed design decision would cut into an already slim 

margin of error to develop, acquire, and test the operational systems that 

will be used for the 2020 Decennial Census. In light of this, prioritizing 

activities and ensuring that schedules and project plans are completed in 

a way that is consistent with the prioritized approach could help ensure 

that the most essential information is available to inform this decision. 

Additionally, while the Bureau has taken several steps to ensure that 

most risks are identified and mitigated, six identified risks lacked 

mitigation plans, including one critical risk. Until program officials 

implement our prior recommendation by ensuring that all risks are 

mitigated, the program is in danger of risks potentially being realized.

The bureau has implemented a majority of our most recent 

recommendations for improving institutional IT management and security 

controls. Continued momentum in fully implementing remaining 

recommendations would enhance the Bureau’s capabilities to reliably 

acquire the IT solutions selected for 2020 and ensure its information and 

systems are protected from intrusion.

To ensure that the Bureau is better positioned to make a well-informed 

design decision for the 2020 Decennial Census, we are recommending 

that the Secretary of Commerce direct the Under Secretary of Economic 

Affairs to direct the Director of the Census Bureau to take the following 

three actions:

• prioritize the research and testing that the Bureau needs to complete 

in order to support the operational design decision by the end of fiscal 

year 2015;

• develop the research and testing project schedules consistent with the 

new prioritized approach; and

• ensure project plans are consistent with the new prioritized approach.

Recommendations for 

Executive Action
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We received written comments on a draft of this report from the 

Department of Commerce. The comments are reprinted in appendix II.

In its comments, the department stated that it concurred with our three 

recommendations and that the Census Bureau had actions under way to 

address them. For example, regarding our recommendation to prioritize 

the research and testing needed to support the operational design 

decision by the end of fiscal year 2015, the Bureau stated that it was 

continuing to meet with the research and testing project teams to 

determine and prioritize what is most critical to support the 2015 

operational design decision.

In addition, the Bureau stated that it agreed with our conclusion that the 

current trajectory demonstrated a level of risk, but did not agree, based 

on the work it had already completed, that it was unlikely that the 

remaining planned work would be completed in time to support the design 

decisions by the end of fiscal year 2015. However, as we state in the 

report, the Bureau has either not developed or not finalized most of its ITrelated project schedules, and the projects with defined schedules are not 

estimated to complete key activities until approximately 9 to 12 months 

after the September 2015 design decision deadline. We therefore 

maintain that if the Bureau continues on its current course, the remaining 

research and testing activities are unlikely to be completed before 

September 2015.

Further, the Bureau commented on our finding that three projects lacked 

project plans, which are to be used to identify the activities to be 

accomplished and serve as the baseline for monitoring project 

performance and managing changes to the projects. Specifically, the 

Bureau stated that its IT Directorate had developed a charter for the 

Systems Development Lifecycle, which it believed included this 

information. However, this document—which is intended to serve as a 

template for project managers to use in the development of their project 

charters—states that project management plans, in addition to project 

charters, should be developed for each project. It also states that in 

instances where it is determined that certain project planning artifacts are 

not necessary, this decision should be documented in the charter. The 

charters for each of the three projects we identified clearly indicated that 

project plans were to be developed. Accordingly, we maintain that our 

third recommendation is still needed.

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation
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We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Commerce, the 

Under Secretary of Economic Affairs, the Director of the U.S. Census 

Bureau, and interested congressional committees. In addition, the report 

is available at no charge on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact 

me at (202) 512-4456 or chac@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this report. GAO staff who made key contributions to this report are 

listed in appendix II.

Carol R. Cha

Director

Information Technology Acquisition Management Issues
Appendix I: Briefing for Staff Members of the 

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs

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Appendix I: Briefing for Staff Members of the 

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and Governmental Affairs
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Appendix II: Comments from the

Department of Commerce

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Appendix II: Comments from the

Department of Commerce
Appendix II: Comments from the

Department of Commerce

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Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

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Carol R. Cha at (202) 512-4456 or chac@gao.gov.

In addition to the contact named above, the following staff made key 

contributions to this report: Shannin G. O’Neill (Assistant Director), Lisa J. 

Hardman, Vernetta Y. Marquis, Lee McCracken, Scott Pettis, and Jeanne 

H. Sung.

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(311607)
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