The FDA has made mixed progress establishing important IT management capabilities that are essential in helping ensure a successful modernization, GAO said.
It said these capabilities include investment management, information security, enterprise architecture development, and human capital management.
For example, as part of a move to an enterprise-wide approach to IT management, the FDA has put policies in place for investment management and project management, and it is making progress in addressing information security.
However, the report said that significant work remains establishing modernization blueprints describing the organization’s operation in terms of business and technology, and the agency is not strategically managing IT human capital, GAO said.
It said the FDA needs a documented enterprise architecture program management plan that includes a detailed work breakdown of the tasks, activities, and time frames associated with developing the architecture, as well as the funding and staff resources needed.
Further, the agency has not determined its IT skills needs or analyzed gaps between skills on hand and future needs and should develop a skills inventory, needs assessment, and gap analysis, and develop initiatives to address skills gaps as part of a strategic approach to IT human capital, GAO said.