Year 2000 Computing Challenge: SBA Needs to Strengthen Systems Testing to Ensure Readiness

SBA completed action to address this recommendation. As of November 29, 1999, GAO's analysis showed that users and technical staff had completed testing SBA's 73 key business processes. To do so, SBA identified its critical business processes and matched them to its mission-critical systems to document which mission-critical system(s) supported each of these critical processes. SBA compared the completed Year 2000 tests of its mission-critical systems with its key business processes and added additional tests for key business processes not already tested. According to its January 7, 2000, report to the Senate Committee on Small Business, SBA has not experienced any Year 2000 related problems with its mission-critical systems.

SBA completed action to address this recommendation. As of November 29, 1999, GAO's analysis showed that users had already certified that 30 of SBA's 42 mission-critical systems were Year 2000 ready, and that SBA planned to complete user certification of the remaining systems by December 7, 1999. According to SBA's Year 2000 Program Manager and its January 7, 2000, report to the Senate Committee on Small Business, SBA users completed actions in all phases of testing including developing test cases, reviewing and verifying test results, and performing additional testing to ensure Year 2000 readiness. SBA reported that as of January 7, 2000, it had not experienced any Year 2000 related problems with its mission-critical systems.

SBA completed action to address this recommendation. As of November 29, 1999, GAO's analysis showed that SBA's independent verification and validation (IV&V) contractor had certified that 30 of SBA's 42 mission-critical systems were Year 2000 ready. The contractor planned to complete certification of the remaining systems by December 7, 1999. According to its January 7, 2000, report to the Senate Committee on Small Business, SBA's IV&V contractor validated SBA's renovation and repair work and tested each of its mission-critical systems. In addition, according to SBA's Year 2000 Program Manager, SBA's IV&V contractor certified that all 42 mission-critical systems were Y2K ready. Finally, SBA reported that as of January 7, 2000, it had not experienced any Year 2000 related problems with its mission-critical systems.

SBA completed action to address this recommendation. On December 6, 1999, GAO reported that SBA had completed testing 56 of its 58 data exchanges, and that the remaining two exchanges did not have any year 2000 implications. GAO reported that SBA's use of data exchange testing to support its end-to-end testing was a reasonable approach because SBA: (1) tested transactions from the beginning through the end of SBA's business processes; and (2) mapped its data exchange tests to its key business processes to ensure end-to-end testing of those processes. SBA reported that as of January 7, 2000, it had not experienced any Year 2000 related problems with its mission-critical systems.