Problems in Managing and Planning of Information Resources Persist at the Army Corps of Engineers
CED-82-28
Published: Jun 09, 1982. Publicly Released: Jun 09, 1982.
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Highlights
GAO was asked to review the Army Corps of Engineers' effectiveness in planning, acquiring, managing, and using information resources, specifically automatic data processing (ADP).
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to establish a separate information resource management office with clearly defined authority over information resource activities. This office should include the functions of information resources management, the Automation Management Office, and the CE-80 Project Office. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to direct the senior official to conform the organizational structure, policies, and programs of the information resource management office to those of the Army as they become available. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to direct staff and program offices and field offices to establish a direct and systematic reporting relationship with the central information resource management office. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to issue a directive establishing clear authority and responsibility of the senior official for information resource management issues. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to direct the recently designated senior official to develop and implement a comprehensive program for managing the Corps information resources. Also, the comprehensive program should include: (1) a formal oversight mechanism to guide and direct the use and management of information systems; and (2) formal procedures and policies to control software and system development projects. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to establish a comprehensive planning process for information resources, including ADP. This process should provide a mechanism to: (1) establish strategies, goals, and objectives; (2) identify and define functional information requirements; (3) establish priorities for these requirements; and (4) measure the use of ADP resources and report on their performance. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to develop a comprehensive software plan to facilitate the transition of software systems to a future computer system. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to systematically update and define functional user requirements to better justify the acquisition of additional computer resources, evaluate alternative acquisition strategies, and determine requirements for communications and software. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to determine existing computer performance capabilities which have been increased by recent computer acquisitions and evaluate the impact on long-range plans and workload projections. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to perform a detailed review and analysis of major software systems to determine whether they should be continued, redesigned, or eliminated. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Chief of Engineers to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis of alternative redesign strategies for the Corps of Engineers' Management Information Systems to ensure that the government incurs the lowest total life-cycle cost. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
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Topics
Army procurementComputer equipment managementComputer hardwareInformation resources managementIT acquisitionsLife cycle costsPaperwork reductionSoftware verification and validationStrategic information systems planningSystems evaluationComputer resources management