The Census Bureau has drafted a new investment management plan, system development methodology, and requirements development and management processes to improve its ability to manage IT investments and system development, but additional work is needed to ensure these processes are effective and successfully implemented across the bureau, GAO has said.
The 2010 headcount was the most expensive in history at $13 billion, about $3 billion of which was associated with information system cost overruns and performance shortfalls.
While the bureau has developed a new draft investment management plan which contains policies and guidance for managing IT projects, GAO said that plan does not explain when investments with cost or schedule variances should be escalated to higher-level boards for review, or when managers should provide updated investment information to a planned bureau-wide tracking tool.
According to GAO-12-915, the bureau has also developed a new system development methodology guide, but the guide has critical gaps. For example, although there are five development process models allowed, including the traditional sequential approach and newer more iterative approaches, the guide does not explain how to adapt processes and related work products for newer iterative approaches.
The bureau agreed to undertake improvements to guidance for planned IT investment processes and develop a consistent requirements development and management process, and to better coordinate IT workforce planning efforts, among other recommendations.
