Approximately two-thirds of the Department of Homeland Security’s major information technology investments are meeting cost and schedule commitments, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
Out of 68 major investments, 47 met cost and schedule commitments, while the remaining 21 – totaling about $1 billion in spending – had one or more subsidiary projects that were not.
Primary causes for cost and schedule shortfalls include:
- inaccurate preliminary cost and schedule estimates,
- technology issues in the development phase,
- changes in agency priorities,
- lack of understanding of user requirements
- dependencies on other investments that had schedule shortfalls.
GAO recommended that the secretary of Homeland Security direct the appropriate officials to address the guidance shortcomings and develop corrective actions for all major IT investment projects having cost and schedule shortfalls.
In commenting on a draft of the report, DHS concurred with GAO’s recommendations.
GAO: DHS Needs to Enhance Management of Cost and Schedule for Major Investments
