Veterans Benefits Modernization

VBA Has Begun to Address Software Development Weaknesses But Work Remains Gao ID: AIMD-97-154 September 15, 1997

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is modernizing its information systems to strengthen its administrative operations. VBA has taken steps to improve its software development capability, including launching a software process improvement initiative, chartering a software engineering process group, and obtaining the services of an experienced contractor to help with software process improvements. Despite this progress, other software development improvements are needed. These include (1) a defined strategy to reach the repeatable level and a baseline to measure improvements, (2) a process improvement training program for its software developers, and (3) a process to ensure that VBA's software development contractors are at the repeatable level. Unless these deficiencies are addressed, VBA's software development capability will remain ad hoc and chaotic, putting the agency at risk for cost overruns, poor quality software, and schedule delays in software development.

GAO noted that: (1) VBA has taken action to improve its software development capability; (2) among other things, it has launched a software process improvement initiative, chartered a software engineering process group, and obtained the services of an experienced contractor to assist in developing and implementing a software process improvement effort; (3) although it has made progress, VBA has not yet fully addressed needed software development improvements; (4) these include a need for: (a) a defined strategy to reach the repeatable level and a baseline to measure improvements; (b) a process improvement training program for its software developers; and (c) a process to ensure that VBA's software development contractors are at the repeatable level; (5) VBA generally agrees that these issues need to be addressed and has efforts under way to do so; and (6) until these deficiencies are sufficiently addressed, VBA's software development capability remains ad hoc and chaotic, subjecting the agency to continuing risk of cost overruns, poor quality software, and schedule delays in software development.

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.

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