Information Technology: OMB and Agencies Need to Focus Continued Attention on Implementing Reform Law
Published: 2016-05-18T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: The federal government plans to invest more than $89 billion on IT in fiscal year 2017. Historically, these investments have frequently failed, incurred cost overruns and schedule slippages, or contributed little to mission-related outcomes. Accordingly, in December 2014, IT reform legislation was enacted into law, aimed at improving agencies' acquisition of IT. Further, in February 2015, GAO added improving the management of IT acquisitions and operations to its high-risk list—a list of agencies and program areas that are high risk due to their vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or are most in need of transformation. Between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, GAO made about 800 recommendations related to this high-risk area to OMB and agencies. As of May 2016, about 33 percent of these had been implemented.
This statement primarily summarizes: (1) GAO's published work on data center consolidation, and (2) GAO's draft reports on the risk of major investments as reported on the IT Dashboard and the implementation of incremental development practices. These draft reports with recommendations are currently with applicable agencies for comment.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and agencies have taken steps to improve federal information technology (IT) through a series of initiatives; however, additional actions are needed.
Consolidating data centers. In an effort to reduce the growing number of data centers, OMB launched a consolidation initiative in 2010. GAO recently reported that agencies had closed 3,125 of the 10,584 total data centers and achieved $2.8 billion in cost savings and avoidances through fiscal year 2015. Agencies are planning a total of about $8.2 billion in savings and avoidances through fiscal year 2019. However, these planned savings may be higher because 10 agencies had not fully developed their planned savings goals. In addition, agencies made limited progress against OMB's fiscal year 2015 data center optimization performance targets, such as the utilization of data center facilities. GAO recommended that the agencies take action to complete their cost savings targets and improve optimization progress. Most agencies agreed with the recommendations or had no comment.
Enhancing transparency. OMB's IT Dashboard provides detailed information on major investments at federal agencies, including ratings from Chief Information Officers (CIO) that should reflect the level of risk facing an investment. In a draft report, GAO's assessments of the risk ratings showed more risk than the associated CIO ratings. In particular, of the 95 investments reviewed, GAO's assessments matched the CIO ratings 22 times, showed more risk 60 times, and showed less risk 13 times. Several issues contributed to these differences, such as ratings not being updated frequently. In its draft report, GAO is recommending that agencies improve the quality and frequency of their CIO ratings.
Implementing incremental development. An additional key reform initiated by OMB has emphasized the need to deliver investments in smaller parts, or increments, in order to reduce risk and deliver capabilities more quickly. Since 2012, OMB has required investments to deliver functionality every 6 months. In a draft report, GAO determined that 22 agencies reported that 64 percent of 469 active software development projects had plans to deliver usable functionality every 6 months for fiscal year 2016. Further, for seven selected agencies, GAO identified significant differences in the percentage of software projects delivering every 6 months reported to GAO compared to what was reported on the IT Dashboard. For example, the percentage of software projects reported to GAO by the Department of Commerce decreased by about 42 percentage points from what was reported on the IT Dashboard. These differences were due, in part, to agencies having different interpretations of OMB's guidance on reporting software development projects. In its draft report, GAO is recommending that OMB and agencies improve the use of incremental development.
section_title: What GAO Recommends
paragraphs: GAO has previously made numerous recommendations to OMB and federal agencies to improve the oversight and execution of the data center consolidation initiative, the accuracy and reliability of the IT Dashboard, and incremental development policies. Most agencies agreed with GAO's recommendations or had no comment.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: I am pleased to be here today to discuss our recent work related to the  December 2014 information technology (IT) reform law (commonly  referred to as the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act  or FITARA). As you know, the effective and efficient acquisition and  management of IT investments has been a long-standing challenge in the  federal government. In particular, the federal government has spent  billions of dollars on failed and poorly performing IT investments, which  often suffered from ineffective management. Moreover, spending on IT  operations has been inefficient. In light of these ongoing challenges, in  February 2015, we added improving the management of IT acquisitions  and operations to our list of high-risk areas for the federal government.
My statement today will primarily discuss our recently published work on  data center consolidation and our draft reports with recommendations,  which are currently with applicable agencies for comment, on the (1) risk  of major investments as reported on the Office of Management and  Budget’s (OMB) IT Dashboard and (2) implementation of incremental  development practices. A more detailed discussion of the objectives,  scope, and methodology of this work is included in each of the reports  that are cited throughout this statement.
We conducted the work on which this statement is based 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.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: The federal government plans to invest more than $89 billion on IT in  fiscal year 2017. However, as we have previously reported, investments  in federal IT too often result in failed projects that incur cost overruns and  schedule slippages while contributing little to the mission-related  outcome. For example:
The Department of Defense’s Expeditionary Combat Support System  was canceled in December 2012 after spending more than a billion  dollars and failing to deploy within 5 years of initially obligating funds.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Border Initiative  Network program was ended in January 2011, after the department  obligated more than $1 billion to the program, because it did not meet  cost-effectiveness and viability standards.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Financial and Logistics  Integrated Technology Enterprise program was intended to be  delivered by 2014 at a total estimated cost of $609 million, but was  terminated in October 2011 due to challenges in managing the  program.
The Office of Personnel Management’s Retirement Systems  Modernization program was canceled in February 2011, after  spending approximately $231 million on the agency’s third attempt to  automate the processing of federal employee retirement claims.
The tri-agency National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental  Satellite System was stopped in February 2010 by the White House’s  Office of Science and Technology Policy after the program spent 16  years and almost $5 billion.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Scheduling Replacement Project  was terminated in September 2009 after spending an estimated $127  million over 9 years.
These and other failed IT projects often suffered from a lack of disciplined  and effective management, such as project planning, requirements  definition, and program oversight and governance. In many instances,  agencies had not consistently applied best practices that are critical to  successfully acquiring IT investments.
Federal IT projects have also failed due to a lack of oversight and  governance. Executive-level governance and oversight across the  government has often been ineffective, specifically from chief information  officers (CIO). For example, we have reported that not all CIOs had the  authority to review and approve the entire agency IT portfolio and that  CIOs’ authority was limited.
subsections: section_title: Recent Law Can Improve Agencies’ Management of IT
paragraphs: Recognizing the severity of issues related to government-wide  management of IT, FITARA was enacted in December 2014. The law  holds promise for improving agencies’ acquisition of IT and enabling  Congress to monitor agencies’ progress and hold them accountable for  reducing duplication and achieving cost savings. FITARA includes  specific requirements related to seven areas.
Federal data center consolidation initiative (FDCCI). Agencies are  required to provide OMB with a data center inventory, a strategy for  consolidating and optimizing the data centers (to include planned cost  savings), and quarterly updates on progress made. The law also  requires OMB to develop a goal for how much is to be saved through  this initiative, and provide annual reports on cost savings achieved.
Enhanced transparency and improved risk management. OMB  and agencies are to make detailed information on federal IT  investments publicly available, and agency CIOs are to categorize  their IT investments by risk. Additionally, in the case of major IT  investments rated as high risk for 4 consecutive quarters, the law  requires that the agency CIO and the investment’s program manager  conduct a review aimed at identifying and addressing the causes of  the risk.
Agency CIO authority enhancements. Agency CIOs are required  to (1) approve the IT budget requests of their respective agencies, (2)  certify that IT investments are adequately implementing OMB’s  incremental development guidance, (3) review and approve contracts  for IT, and (4) approve the appointment of other agency employees  with the title of CIO.
Portfolio review. Agencies are to annually review IT investment  portfolios in order to, among other things, increase efficiency and  effectiveness, and identify potential waste and duplication. In  developing the associated process, the law requires OMB to develop  standardized performance metrics, to include cost savings, and to  submit quarterly reports to Congress on cost savings.
Expansion of training and use of IT acquisition cadres. Agencies  are to update their acquisition human capital plans to address  supporting the timely and effective acquisition of IT. In doing so, the  law calls for agencies to consider, among other things, establishing IT  acquisition cadres or developing agreements with other agencies that  have such cadres.
Government-wide software purchasing program. The General  Services Administration is to develop a strategic sourcing initiative to  enhance government-wide acquisition and management of software.  In doing so, the law requires that, to the maximum extent practicable,  the General Services Administration should allow for the purchase of  a software license agreement that is available for use by all Executive  Branch agencies as a single user.
Maximizing the benefit of the federal strategic sourcing initiative.  Federal agencies are required to compare their purchases of services  and supplies to what is offered under the Federal Strategic Sourcing  initiative. OMB is also required to issue related regulations.
In June 2015, OMB released guidance describing how agencies are to  implement the law. OMB’s guidance states that it is intended to, among  other things: assist agencies in aligning their IT resources to statutory establish government-wide IT management controls that will meet the  law’s requirements, while providing agencies with flexibility to adapt to  unique agency processes and requirements;  clarify the CIO’s role and strengthen the relationship between agency  CIOs and bureau CIOs; and  strengthen CIO accountability for IT cost, schedule, performance, and  security.
The guidance includes several actions agencies are to take to establish a  basic set of roles and responsibilities (referred to as the “common  baseline”) for CIOs and other senior agency officials that are needed to  implement the authorities described in the law. For example, agencies  were required to conduct a self-assessment and submit a plan describing  the changes they will make to ensure that common baseline  responsibilities are implemented. Agencies were to submit their plans to  OMB’s Office of E-Government and Information Technology by August  15, 2015, and make portions of the plans publicly available on agency  websites no later than 30 days after OMB approval. As of May 2016, 22  of the 24 Chief Financial Officers Act agencies had made their plans  publicly available.
In addition, OMB recently released proposed guidance for public  comment on the optimization of federal data centers and implementation  of FITARA’s data center consolidation and optimization provisions.  Among other things, the proposed guidance instructs agencies to  maintain complete inventories of all data center facilities owned,  operated, or maintained by or on behalf of the agency; develop cost  savings targets due to consolidation and optimization for fiscal years 2016  through 2018 and report any actual realized cost savings; and measure  progress toward defined performance metrics (including server utilization)  on a quarterly basis as part of their data center inventory submissions.  The proposed guidance also directs agencies to develop a data center  consolidation and optimization strategic plan that defines the agency’s  data center strategy for the subsequent 3 years. This strategy is to  include a timeline for agency consolidation and optimization activities with  an emphasis on cost savings and optimization performance benchmarks  the agency can achieve between fiscal years 2016 and 2018. Finally, the  proposed guidance indicates that OMB will maintain a public dashboard  that will display consolidation-related costs savings and optimization  performance information for the agencies.
section_title: IT Acquisitions and Operations Identified by GAO as a High Risk Area
paragraphs: In February 2015, we introduced a new government-wide high-risk area,  Improving the Management of IT Acquisitions and Operations. This area  highlights several critical IT initiatives in need of additional congressional  oversight, including reviews of troubled projects, an emphasis on  incremental development, a key transparency website, reviews of  agencies’ operational investments, data center consolidation, and efforts  to streamline agencies’ portfolios of IT investments. We noted that  implementation of these initiatives has been inconsistent and more work  remains to demonstrate progress in achieving IT acquisition outcomes.
Further, in our February 2015 high-risk report, we identified actions that  OMB and the agencies need to take to make progress in this area. These  include implementing FITARA, as well as implementing our previous  recommendations, such as developing comprehensive inventories of  federal agencies’ software licenses. As noted in that report, we have  made multiple recommendations to improve agencies’ management of IT  acquisitions and operations, many of which are discussed later in this  statement. Between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, we made approximately  800 such recommendations to OMB and federal agencies. As of May  2016, about 33 percent of these recommendations had been  implemented.
Also in our high risk report, we stated that OMB and agencies will need to  demonstrate measurable government-wide progress in the following key  areas:  implement at least 80 percent of GAO’s recommendations related to  the management of IT acquisitions and operations within 4 years, ensure that a minimum of 80 percent of the government’s major  acquisitions deliver functionality every 12 months, and achieve no less than 80 percent of the planned PortfolioStat savings  and 80 percent of the planned savings for data center consolidation.
section_title: Implementation of IT Reform Law Needed to Improve Performance of Key Initiatives
paragraphs: One of the key initiatives to implement FITARA is data center  consolidation. OMB established FDCCI in February 2010 to improve the  efficiency, performance, and environmental footprint of federal data  center activities. In a series of reports over the past 5 years, we  determined that while data center consolidation could potentially save the  federal government billions of dollars, weaknesses existed in several  areas including agencies’ data center consolidation plans and OMB’s  tracking and reporting on cost savings. In total, we have made 111  recommendations to OMB and agencies to improve the execution and  oversight of the initiative. Most agencies agreed with our  recommendations or had no comment.
Most recently, in March 2016, we reported that the 24 departments and  agencies participating in FDCCI collectively made progress on their data  center closure efforts. Specifically, as of November 2015, agencies had  identified a total of 10,584 data centers, of which they reported closing  3,125 through fiscal year 2015. Notably, the Departments of Agriculture,  Defense, the Interior, and the Treasury accounted for 84 percent of these  total closures. Agencies are also planning to close an additional 2,078  data centers—for a total of 5,203—by the end of fiscal year 2019. See  figure 1 for a summary of agencies’ total data centers and reported and  planned closures.
In addition, we reported that 19 of the 24 agencies reported achieving an  estimated $2.8 billion in cost savings and avoidances from their data  center consolidation and optimization efforts from fiscal years 2011 to  2015. Notably, the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland  Security, and the Treasury accounted for about $2.4 billion (or about 86  percent) of the total. Further, 21 agencies collectively reported planning  an additional $5.4 billion in cost savings and avoidances, for a total of  approximately $8.2 billion, through fiscal year 2019. See figure 2 for a  summary of agencies’ reported achieved and planned cost savings and  avoidances from fiscal years 2011 through 2019.
However, we noted that planned savings may be higher because 10 of  the 21 agencies that reported planned closures from fiscal years 2016  through 2018 have not fully developed their cost savings and avoidance  goals for these fiscal years. Agencies provided varied reasons for not  having this information, including that they were in the process of re- evaluating their data center consolidation strategies, as well as facing  other challenges in determining such information. We noted that the  reporting of planned savings goals is increasingly important considering  the enactment of FITARA, which requires agencies to develop yearly  calculations of cost savings as part of their multi-year strategies to  consolidate and optimize their data centers. We concluded that, until  agencies address their challenges and complete and report such  information, the $8.2 billion in total savings and avoidances may be  understated and agencies will not be able to satisfy the data center  consolidation strategy provisions of FITARA.
Finally, we reported that agencies made limited progress against OMB’s  fiscal year 2015 core data center optimization performance metrics. In  total, 22 of the 24 agencies reported data center optimization information  to OMB. However, of the nine metrics with targets, only one—full-time  equivalent ratio (a measure of data center labor efficiency)—was met by  half of the 24 agencies, while the remaining eight were each met by less  than half of the agencies. See figure 3 for a summary of agencies’  progress against OMB’s data center optimization metric targets.
Agencies reported a variety of challenges in meeting OMB’s data center  optimization targets, such as the decentralized nature of their agencies  making consolidation and optimization efforts more difficult. We noted that  addressing this challenge and others is increasingly important in light of  the enactment of FITARA, which requires agencies to measure and report  progress in meeting data center optimization performance metrics. We  concluded that, until agencies take action to improve progress against  OMB’s data center optimization metrics, including addressing any  challenges identified, they could be hindered in the implementation of the  data center consolidation provisions of FITARA and in making initiative- wide progress against OMB’s optimization targets.
To better ensure that federal data center consolidation and optimization  efforts improve governmental efficiency and achieve cost savings, we  recommended that 10 agencies take action to complete their planned  data center cost savings and avoidance targets for fiscal years 2016  through 2018. We also recommended that 22 agencies take action to  improve optimization progress, including addressing any identified  challenges. Fourteen agencies agreed with our recommendations, 4 did  not state whether they agreed or disagreed, and 6 stated that they had no  comments.
subsections: section_title: Risks Need to Be Fully Considered When Agencies Rate Their Major Investments on OMB’s IT Dashboard
paragraphs: To facilitate transparency across the government in acquiring and  managing IT investments, OMB established a public website—the IT  Dashboard—to provide detailed information on major investments at 26  agencies, including ratings of their performance against cost and  schedule targets. Among other things, agencies are to submit ratings  from their CIOs, which, according to OMB’s instructions, should reflect the  level of risk facing an investment relative to that investment’s ability to  accomplish its goals. In this regard, FITARA includes a requirement for  CIO’s to categorize their major IT investment risks in accordance with  OMB guidance.
Over the past 6 years, we have issued a series of reports about the IT  Dashboard that noted both significant steps OMB has taken to enhance  the oversight, transparency, and accountability of federal IT investments  by creating its IT Dashboard, as well as issues with the accuracy and  reliability of data. In total, we have made 22 recommendations to OMB  and federal agencies to help improve the accuracy and reliability of the  information on the IT Dashboard and to increase its availability. Most  agencies agreed with our recommendations or had no comment.
Most recently, as part of our ongoing work, we determined that agencies  had not fully considered risks when rating their major investments on the  IT Dashboard. Specifically, our assessment of 95 investments at 15  agencies matched the CIO ratings posted on the Dashboard 22 times,  showed more risk 60 times, and showed less risk 13 times. Figure 4  summarizes how our assessments compared to the select investments’  CIO ratings.
Aside from the inherently judgmental nature of risk ratings, we identified  three factors which contributed to differences between our assessments  and CIO ratings:
Forty-one of the 95 CIO ratings were not updated during the month  we reviewed, which led to more differences between our assessments  and the CIOs’ ratings. This underscores the importance of frequent  rating updates, which help to ensure that the information on the  Dashboard is timely and accurately reflects recent changes to  investment status.
Three agencies’ rating processes span longer than 1 month. Longer  processes mean that CIO ratings are based upon older data, and may  not reflect the current level of investment risk.
Seven agencies’ rating processes did not focus on active risks.
According to OMB’s guidance, CIO ratings should reflect the CIO’s  assessment of the risk and the investment’s ability to accomplish its  goals. CIO ratings that do no incorporate active risks increase the  chance that ratings overstate the likelihood of investment success.
As a result, we concluded that the associated risk rating processes used  by the agencies were generally understating the level of an investment’s  risk, raising the likelihood that critical federal investments in IT are not  receiving the appropriate levels of oversight. To better ensure that the  Dashboard ratings more accurately reflect risk, we are recommending in  our draft report, which is with the applicable agencies for comment, that  15 agencies take actions to improve the quality and frequency of their  CIO ratings.
section_title: Agencies Need to Increase Their Use of Incremental Development Practices
paragraphs: OMB has emphasized the need to deliver investments in smaller parts, or  increments, in order to reduce risk, deliver capabilities more quickly, and  facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies. In 2010, it called for  agencies’ major investments to deliver functionality every 12 months and,  since 2012, every 6 months. Subsequently, FITARA codified a  requirement that agency CIO’s certify that IT investments are adequately  implementing OMB’s incremental development guidance.
In May 2014, we reported that almost three-quarters of selected  investments at five major agencies did not plan to deliver capabilities in  6-month cycles, and less than half planned to deliver functionality in 12- month cycles. We also reported that most of the five agencies reviewed  had incomplete incremental development policies. Accordingly, we  recommended that OMB develop and issue clearer guidance on  incremental development and that selected agencies update and  implement their associated policies. Most agencies agreed with our  recommendations or had no comment.
More recently, as part of our ongoing work, we determined that agencies  had not fully implemented incremental development practices for their  software development projects. Specifically, as of August 31, 2015, on  the IT Dashboard, 22 federal agencies reported that 300 of 469 active  software development projects (approximately 64 percent) were planning  to deliver usable functionality every 6 months for fiscal year 2016, as  required by OMB guidance. Regarding the remaining 169 projects (or 36  percent) that were reported as not planning to deliver functionality every 6  months, agencies provided a variety of explanations for not achieving that  goal, including project complexity, the lack of an established project  release schedule, or that the project was not a software development  project. Table 1 lists the total number and percent of software  development projects that agencies reported plans to deliver functionality,  from highest to lowest.
In reviewing seven selected agencies’ software development projects,  we determined that the percentage delivering functionality every 6 months  was reported at 45 percent for fiscal year 2015 and planned for 54  percent in fiscal year 2016. However, significant differences existed  between the delivery rates that the agencies reported to us and what they  reported on the IT Dashboard. For example, the percentage of software  projects delivering every 6 months that was reported to us by the  Department of Commerce decreased by about 42 percentage points from  what was reported on the IT Dashboard. In contrast, the Department of  Defense reported a 55 percentage point increase from what was reported  on the IT Dashboard. Figure 5 compares what the seven agencies  reported on the IT Dashboard and the numbers they reported to us.
We determined that the significant differences in delivery rates were due,  in part, to agencies having different interpretations of OMB’s guidance on  reporting software development projects and because the information  reported to us was generally more current than the information reported  on the IT Dashboard. We concluded that, until the inconsistences in the  information reported to us versus the information provided on the IT  Dashboard are addressed, the seven agencies we reviewed are at risk  that OMB and key stakeholders may make decisions regarding agency  investments without the most current and accurate information.
Finally, nearly all of the seven agencies we reviewed had not yet  implemented the FITARA requirement related to certifying that major IT  investments are adequately implementing OMB’s incremental  development guidance. Specifically, only one agency—the Department of  Homeland Security—had processes and policies to ensure that the CIO  will certify that major IT investments are adequately implementing  incremental development, while the remaining six agencies had not  established such processes and policies. Officials from most of these six  agencies reported they were in the process of updating their existing  incremental development policies to address certification.
To improve the use of incremental development, we are recommending in  our draft report, which is with the applicable agencies for comment, that  agencies take action to update their policies for incremental development  and IT Dashboard project information. We are also recommending that  OMB provide clarifying guidance on what IT investments are required to  use incremental development and for reporting on projects that are not  subject to these requirements.
In summary, with the recent enactment of FITARA, the federal  government has an opportunity to improve the transparency and  management of IT acquisition and operations, and strengthen the  authority of CIOs to provide needed direction and oversight. However,  improvements are needed in several critical IT initiatives, including data  center consolidation, efforts to increase transparency via OMB’s IT  Dashboard, and incremental development—all of which are related to  provisions of FITARA. Accordingly, OMB and federal agencies should  expeditiously implement the requirements of the new IT reform law and  continue to implement our previous recommendations. To help ensure  that these improvements are achieved, continued congressional oversight  of OMB’s and agencies’ implementation efforts is essential.
Chairmen Meadows and Hurd, Ranking Members Connolly and Kelly,  and Members of the Subcommittees, this completes my prepared  statement. I would be pleased to respond to any questions that you may  have at this time.
section_title: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: If you or your staffs have any questions about this testimony, please  contact me at (202) 512-9286 or at pownerd@gao.gov. Individuals who  made key contributions to this testimony are Dave Hinchman (Assistant  Director), Justin Booth, Chris Businsky, Rebecca Eyler, Linda  Kochersberger, and Jon Ticehurst.
section_title: Related GAO Products
paragraphs: Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Making Progress, but Planned  Savings Goals Need to Be Established .  GAO-16-323. Washington, D.C.: March 3, 2016.
High-Risk Series: An Update. GAO-15-290. Washington, D.C.: February  11, 2015.
Data Center Consolidation: Reporting Can Be Improved to Reflect  Substantial Planned Savings. GAO-14-713. Washington, D.C.:  September 25, 2014.
Information Technology: Agencies Need to Establish and Implement  Incremental Development Policies. GAO-14-361. Washington, D.C.: May  1, 2014.
IT Dashboard: Agencies Are Managing Investment Risk, but Related  Ratings Need to Be More Accurate and Available. GAO-14-64  Washington, D.C.: December 12, 2013.
Data Center Consolidation: Strengthened Oversight Needed to Achieve  Cost Savings Goal. GAO-13-378. Washington, D.C.: April 23, 2013.
Information Technology Dashboard: Opportunities Exist to Improve  Transparency and Oversight of Investment Risk at Select Agencies.  GAO-13-98. Washington, D.C.: October 16, 2012.
Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Making Progress on Efforts, but  Inventories and Plans Need to Be Completed. GAO-12-742. Washington,  D.C.: July 19, 2012.
IT Dashboard: Accuracy Has Improved, and Additional Efforts Are Under  Way to Better Inform Decision Making. GAO-12-210. Washington, D.C.:  November 7, 2011.
Data Center Consolidation: Agencies Need to Complete Inventories and  Plans to Achieve Expected Savings. GAO-11-565. Washington, D.C.: July  19, 2011.
Federal Chief Information Officers: Opportunities Exist to Improve Role in  Information Technology Management. GAO-11-634. Washington, D.C.:  September 15, 2011.
Information Technology: OMB Has Made Improvements to Its Dashboard,  but Further Work Is Needed by Agencies and OMB to Ensure Data  Accuracy. GAO-11-262. Washington, D.C.: March 15, 2011.
Information Technology: OMB’s Dashboard Has Increased Transparency  and Oversight, but Improvements Needed. GAO-10-701. Washington,  D.C.: July 16, 2010.
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