Information Management

Energy Lacks Data to Support Its Information System Streamlining Effort Gao ID: AIMD-96-70 July 23, 1996

In the past, GAO reported that the Energy Department (DOE) had spent considerable sums to develop and operate duplicate information systems that supported its environmental management and other programs. This report discusses problems that could impair DOE's ability to eliminate duplicate information systems as it streamlines its information systems. DOE has developed a baseline inventory of data on specific systems used by the Department and its contractors. However, the inventory is substantially incomplete and lacks enough information describing the systems' functional capabilities. As a result, the inventory will not be adequate to help eliminate duplicate information systems as part of the streamlining effort. The data deficiencies exist largely because DOE has allowed its contractors wide latitude in developing and implementing software inventory procedures and standards and has not required them to follow its software management guidance. As a result, these contractors do not consistently develop and maintain information on their systems and use varying methods to classify systems according to their functions and capabilities.

GAO found that: (1) DOE is basing its streamlining efforts on a baseline inventory of data on specific software systems, but the inventory is incomplete and lacks critical information on the systems' functional capabilities; (2) the inventory will not help to eliminate duplicate information systems; (3) only two-thirds of the DOE management and operating contractors responded to the 1995 DOE data request; (4) the data deficiencies are due to contractors' inconsistent development and implementation of software inventory procedures and standards and classification of systems, and DOE failure to require them to comply with DOE software management guidance; (5) DOE is developing new guidance for information resources management, but it still does not specify standards for classifying systems according to their functional capabilities or procedures for ensuring data integrity; and (6) contractors will still have wide latitude in their development and maintenance of software system inventories and DOE will not have an effective method for eliminating duplicate systems.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Team: Phone:


The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.