Information Technology: VA Actions Needed to Implement Critical Reforms

In 2002, under VA's enterprise architecture development effort, the department synchronized in-process reviews of IT projects within an integrated IT management process. VA's new IT system life-cycle management process requires that formal progress reviews of all IT projects be conducted at five major decision points (milestones) over the life cycle of the projects. According to VA, these milestone reviews provide the basis for comprehensive project management, progressive decisionmaking, and funding authorization at each step in the process through ongoing monitoring and oversight.

VA agreed with this recommendation, and stated that it would provide post-implementation review findings to investment panel members in the future. VA's Information Technology Investment Guide contains instructions on conducting post-implementation reviews to enable the department's IT decisionmakers to monitor and manage IT projects. The guide also states that VA's IRM Planning and Acquisition Service will capture lessons learned, place them in a reference library, and brief the CIO Council and investment panel as appropriate. In 2001, a contractor performed post-implementation reviews on The Image Management System and National Enrollment System. VA has scheduled post-implementation reviews of two additional systems (Picture Archiving System and Personal Computer leasing in VISN 21) in 2002, and of seven additional information systems in 2003. VA stated that the results of post-implementation reviews are being provided to decisionmakers in order to permit them to make better informed decisions on future IT projects.

VA agreed with this recommendation. According to recent VA testimony, guidance on processes for selecting, controlling, and evaluating IT investments below the Capital Investment Board thresholds has been distributed to VA agencies.

VA concurred with this recommendation, and in 1998, it established the position of assistant secretary for information and technology to serve as VA's chief information officer (CIO). However, the position remained unfilled from 1998 to 2001, with various VA officials serving as acting CIO for the department during this time. The newly appointed Secretary of Veterans Affairs made obtaining a full-time CIO one of his top priorities in 2001, and subsequently, the White House submitted the name of a nominee for VA CIO to the Senate for confirmation. This nominee was confirmed by the full Senate and was sworn in on August 10, 2001.

VA's enterprise architecture provides the department with a top-level, department-wide framework to coordinate and integrate improvement of VA's mission-related processes. A fundamental focus of VA's enterprise architecture is reduction of redundancy of information technology systems and data across department program and business lines (i.e. reengineering of mission-related business processes). To comply with VA's enterprise architecture, the department's administrations and staff offices cannot independently develop information technology systems. Rather, under VA's enterprise architecture governance and development process they must submit proposals for information Technology systems to the department Chief Information Officer for review and concurrence that the proposals conform to the department's "One-VA Enterprise Architecture." In this way, VA is coordinating and integrating information technology improvement projects, and providing the basis for its "One-VA" vision of providing veterans with a unified view of VA services.

VA agreed with the recommendation. In April 2001, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs established a team and charged it with developing a high-level enterprise architecture plan for VA. At that time, he designated VA's Acting Chief Information Officer to lead the effort, with the assistance of VA's Special Advisor to the Secretary on Information and Technology, and in concert with VA business owners. In August 2001, VA completed its Enterprise Architecture: Strategy, Governance, & Implementation--its guide to define, implement, and maintain its enterprise architecture. In 2002, VA developed a first draft of its enterprise architecture, which contains elements of the department's baseline and target architectures, information flows, data descriptions, technical reference manual, and standards profile.