USDA United States Department of Agriculture 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

Management Council Charter 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 


1 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL CHARTER: INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 3 


1. 1 BACKGROUND ANO PURPOSE ..... . . .............................................................. 3 


2 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP ............................................................................. 3 


2. 1 CHAIRPERSON .................................. ............................................................ . . ................ 3 


2.2 GENERAL MEMBERS ..... . . ....................................................................... 3 


2.3 MEMBERSHIP TERM ................................................................... . ............. 3 


3 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES .................................................................... 3 


3.1 GENERAL ...... ................ . . ......................................... 3 


4 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL MEETINGS AND VOTES ............................................................ 4 


4.1 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL DECISIONS ........................................... . . ......... 4 


4.2 DOCUMENTATION ANO COMMUNICATIONS OF COUNCIL BUSINESS ... ....................5 


5 DURATION OF THE CHARTER ...............................................................................5 


6 APPROVAL ..............................................................................................................................5 


7 ATTACHMENT 1: MANAGEMENT COUNCIL'S FUNCTION AS AN INFORMATION 


TECHNOLOGY IT INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD (ITIRB) ..........................................6 


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1. MANAGEMENT COUNCIL CHARTER INTRODUCTION 


1.1 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Administrator establishes the Agency's long-term 

vision through the FSIS Strategic Plan, and, along with the FSIS Deputy Administrator, leads the 

Management Council (MC) in setting annual and Jong-term priorities and a strategy to meet 

performance measures within those priorities. 

This Charter formalizes the role of the MC in the FSIS Enterprise Governance (EG) decision-making 

process, as codified in FSJS Directive 1040.1 and EG board charters. EG information is located on 

the FSIS public web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/informalional/aboutfsis/strategicplanning/enterprise-governance The Charter establishes roles, responsibilities, process, and 

protocols through which the MC will conduct its decision-making in a predictable and transparent 

manner. 

2. MANAGEMENT COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP 

2.1 CHAIRPERSON 

The MC is chaired by the FSIS Administrator; in his or her absence, by the FSIS Deputy Administrator 

or their designee. 

2.2 GENERAL MEMBERS 

The members of the MC include the FSIS Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrators, 

Deputy Assistant Administrators, other members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and Agency 

senior managers as designated by the Administrator. Senior Level (SL) employees may attend MC 

meetings as non-voting members. 

Jn general, alternates may attend MC meetings for regular members unable to attend or call in for 

meetings. Alternate members must be authorized to make decisions on matters within the scope of 

the MC responsibilities and are expected to participate fully regarding agenda items on behalf of 

their respective MC member. Only MC members may officially vole. 

2.3 MEMBERSHIP TERM 

Members serve on the MC for the duration of their service at FSIS. 

3. MANAGEMENT COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES 

3.1 GENERAL 

The MC is the decision-making authorizing body for all expenditures, investments, projects, proposed 

policy initiatives, and changes to existing policy decisions and other Agency initiatives that impact FSIS' 

mission and goals. The MC oversees the development and implementation of the agency's overall 

strategic plan; the IT portfolio; enterprise (impacting two or more program areas) and high visibility 

projects; the development of policies and procedures; establishment of risk management priorities and 

resource allocation. All activities and processes affecting the operations and policies of the agency fall 

under the MC's purview. The MC also functions as the Information Technology Investment Review 

Board (ITIRB) for FSIS. As such, the MC is responsible for implementing an investment management 

process that drives budget formulation and execution for all FSIS IT investments. This process supports 

the overall Department's Regulation that provides the policy for establishing and managing USDA's 

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Enterprise Information Technology Governance requirements, objectives, authorities, and roles and 

responsibilities for major and non-major IT investments. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Chief Information Officer (CIO) is considered a member of the ITIRB for IT investment decision gates. 

Therefore, the USDA CIO (or designee) will be invited to attend MC meetings in which IT investments 

are presented for decision. This ensures that decisions regarding IT investments align with Departmentwide goals and objectives. 

As part of the decision making process, the MC is to review, evaluate and assess recommendations 

provided by the Enterprise Governance (EG) boards. These boards include the Enterprise Architecture 

Board (EAB), responsible for implementing and managing FSIS' Enterprise Architecture, which defines 

how information technology (IT) will support and benefit the Agency; the Enterprise Investment Board 

(EIB), responsible for assessing, evaluating, reviewing, and making recommendations on resource 

requirements necessary for the Agency to conduct its mission; and the E=nterprise Steering Board 

(ESB), responsible for leading the implementation of external or internal, new or revised policy and/or 

business practices that impact or require assets from multiple program areas. The EIB is chaired by 

the Agency's Chief Financial Officer, the EAB is chaired by the Agency's Chief Information Officer, and 

the ESB is chaired by the Agency's Chief Operating Officer or his or her designated appointee. The 

EG Board Chairs are responsible for operations and oversight of individual boards, as well as 

coordinating between boards and the MC. The MC depends on the efforts of the Agency's standing 

EG boards to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information presented to it for decisionrnaking. 

The responsibilities of the Chairperson are as follows: 

Preside at MC meetings 

Ensure that MC decisions are fact-based and have received the appropriate enterprise 

governance board review. 

Ensure that the MC governance approach integrates and supports established USDA 

business processes to ensure a comprehensive IT investment portfolio management 

approach which may include capital planning and investment control, enterprise 

architecture, earned value management, etc. 

Make the final decision on an issue when group consensus cannot be reached. 

The responsibilities of each member are as follows: 

Review in advance distributed materials for meeting discussion to facilitate more efficient 


decision-making. 


Review and assess proposed FSIS initiatives and investments to ensure that analyses are 


complete and fact-based and that alternatives have been developed and evaluated. 


Review the recommendations provided by the FSIS EG boards, taking into account the 


organizational impact and reaction by external stakeholders. 


Ensure that all decisions are appropriately coordinated across the.Agency and are aligned. 


with Agency priorities and plans. 


4. MANAGEMENT COUNCIL MEETINGS AND VOTES 

4.1 MANAGEMENT COUNCIL DECISIONS 

The MC will hold scheduled meetings to provide management, oversight and decision-making on 

FSIS' initiatives and investments. The MC will also meet on an ad hoc basis, as necessary, for 

resolution of EG activities requiring great urgency. The MC seeks to reach consensus on all issues 

before it. If consensus is not reached, a vote will be conducted. If the vote is split, the Chair will 

make the final decision. 

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4.2 DOCUMENTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS OF COUNCIL BUSINESS 

For MC meetings requiring decision-making, the EG Board Executive Secretary or designee for 

the EG Board presenting the issue will record the MC's final decision, including significant 

discussion points using the established MC Decision template. All MC decisions will be available 

to authorized employees on the FSIS MC SharePoint site, available at 

http://collaboration/MC/default.aspx. FSIS will communicate to employees significant MC 

decisions affecting Agency employees through the Beacon, InsideFSIS, or other appropriate 

means. 

5. DURATION OF THE CHARTER 

The Charter will continue to exist until it is revoked by the FSIS MC. This charter will be updated 

as required. Changes to this Charter require approval of the MC. 

6. APPROVAL 

The MC Charter is approved by the following: 

Alfred V. Almanza 

Acting Administrator 

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7. ATTACHMENT 1 

MANAGEMENT COUNCIL'S FUNCTION AS AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 

INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD (IT/RB) 

The Management Council (MC) also functions as an Information Technology Investment Review Board 

(ITIRB) in the FSIS Enterprise Governance process. The ITIRB function of the MC is established under 

the authority of the Clinger-Cohen Act (PL 104-106 at 40 USC, Chapter 25) and the Federal Information 

Technology Acquisition Reform Act of 2014 (PL 113-291, Subtitle 0, Sections 831-837) and functions 

under the provisions of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars A-11 and A-130, 

revised. As the ITIRB, the MC provides oversight, review and approval of both IT and non-IT 

investments. This may include approval or disapproval of funding for new systems or investments, or 

major modifications to systems and investments. The ITIRB also reviews investment performance and 

approves the continuation, modification, or termination of existing systems or investments. 

In its function as the ITIRB, the MC: 

• 	 Maximizes the value and assesses and manages the risk and costs of all IT investments; 

• 	 Facilitates the use of technology to improve the agency's mission; 

• 	 Ensures integration of information system inv.estment decisions with the agency's and 


Department's Integrated Information Technology Governance Framework; 


• 	 Focuses on the entire, multi-year life cycle of information system investments, including vision, 


definition, acquisition, development, validation, implementation, operation and maintenance, and 


disposal; 


• 	 Makes information resource investment decisions based on current and emerging business needs 

and processes; 

• 	 Emphasizes and monitors performance and results in resource investments; 

• 	 Approves IT investment review schedules; 

• 	 Recommends corrective actions for investments that are not performing in accordance with 


established cost, schedule, scope or performance parameters; 


• 	 Participates in agency and USDA TechStats, PortfolioStats, and other investment processes; 

• 	 Reviews and sets strategic investment priorities based on FSIS strategic goals and objectives and 

USDA and OMB directives and guidance; and ensures continuous process improvement and 

maturation of IT investment management leveraging the OMB "Common Baseline for IT 

Management" and approved Federal IT Management Maturity models; 

• 	 Provides the FSIS Under Secretary with advice, guidance and proposed recommendations on IT 

investments for input to the E-Board, which is an executive-level governance body within the 

Department consisting of the Integrated Advisory Board and the Executive Information Technology 

Investment Review Board. 1 

USDA Departmental Regulation, DR 3130-10, December 3, 2015, "United Stales Department of Agriculture Enterprise 

Information Technology Governance." 


http: /lwww. ocio. usda.gov/si tes/d 8fauIUfiles/docs/2012/D Ro/0203130-0 10°/o20 Enterp rise%1201T0/o 20Gave rna nce 0/o2 0°/o 28 EITG%29. pdf 


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