Veterans Affairs

The Critical Role of the Chief Information Officer Position in Effective Information Technology Management Gao ID: GAO-05-1017T September 14, 2005

In carrying out VA's mission of serving the nation's veterans and their dependents, the agency relies extensively on information technology (IT), for which it is requesting about $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2006. VA's vision is to integrate its IT resources and streamline interactions with customers, so that it can provide services and information to veterans more quickly and effectively. Fully exploiting the potential of IT to improve performance is a challenging goal for VA, as it is throughout government. The Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 addressed this challenge by, among other things, establishing the position of chief information officer (CIO) to serve as the focal point for information and technology management within departments and agencies. The Committee requested that GAO discuss the role of CIOs in the federal government, as well as provide a historical perspective on the roles and responsibilities of VA's CIO. In developing this testimony, GAO relied on its previous work at VA as well as on the CIO role across government, including a 2004 review of CIOs at major departments and agencies.

CIOs play a critical role in managing information and technology within federal agencies. According to GAO's 2004 review, CIOs generally held wide responsibilities and reported to their agency heads or other top level managers. In general, CIOs reported that they were responsible for key information and technology management areas; for example, all the CIOs were responsible for five key areas (capital planning and investment management, enterprise architecture, information security, strategic planning for information technology and information resource management, and information technology workforce planning). However, in carrying out their responsibilities, the tenure of federal CIOs was often less than the length of time that some experts consider necessary for them to be effective and implement changes: the median tenure was about 2 years, and the most common response regarding time required to be effective was 3 to 5 years. In contrast, CIOs were generally helped in carrying out their responsibilities by the background and experience they brought to the job: most had background in information technology (IT) or related fields, and many also had business knowledge related to their agencies. Other factors that help CIOs meet their responsibilities include (1) being supported by senior executives who recognize the importance to their missions of IT and an effective CIO; (2) playing an influential role in applying IT to business needs; and (3) being able to structure their organizations appropriately. At the same time, CIOs cited several challenges, of which the two most frequently mentioned were implementing effective IT management and obtaining sufficient and relevant resources. Over time, the CIO position at VA, as well as information and technology management as a whole, has received increased attention at the department. After several years with CIOs whose primary duty was not information and technology management or who were serving in an acting capacity, the department appointed a full-time permanent CIO in August 2001. In 2002, the department proposed further strengthening the position and centralizing IT management, recognizing that aspects of its computing environment were particularly challenging and required substantial management attention. In particular, the department's information systems and services were highly decentralized, and a large proportion of the department's IT budget was controlled by the VA's administrations and staff offices. To address these challenges, the Secretary issued a memo in 2002 announcing that IT functions, programs, and funding would be centralized under the department-level CIO. This realignment held promise for improving accountability and enabling the department to accomplish its mission. The additional oversight afforded the CIO could have a significant impact on the department's ability to more effectively account for and manage its IT spending.



GAO-05-1017T, Veterans Affairs: The Critical Role of the Chief Information Officer Position in Effective Information Technology Management This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-05-1017T entitled 'Veterans Affairs: The Critical Role of the Chief Information Officer Position in Effective Information Technology Management' which was released on September 14, 2005. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to Webmaster@gao.gov. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. United States Government Accountability Office: GAO: Testimony before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives: For Release on Delivery: Expected at 10:00 a.m. EDT September 14, 2005: Veterans Affairs: The Critical Role of the Chief Information Officer Position in Effective Information Technology Management: Statement of Linda D. Koontz: Director, Information Management Issues: GAO-05-1017T: GAO Highlights: Highlights of GAO-05-1017T, a testimony before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives Why GAO Did This Study: In carrying out VA‘s mission of serving the nation‘s veterans and their dependents, the agency relies extensively on information technology (IT), for which it is requesting about $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2006. VA‘s vision is to integrate its IT resources and streamline interactions with customers, so that it can provide services and information to veterans more quickly and effectively. Fully exploiting the potential of IT to improve performance is a challenging goal for VA, as it is throughout government. The Clinger- Cohen Act of 1996 addressed this challenge by, among other things, establishing the position of chief information officer (CIO) to serve as the focal point for information and technology management within departments and agencies. The Committee requested that GAO discuss the role of CIOs in the federal government, as well as provide a historical perspective on the roles and responsibilities of VA‘s CIO. In developing this testimony, GAO relied on its previous work at VA as well as on the CIO role across government, including a 2004 review of CIOs at major departments and agencies. What GAO Found: CIOs play a critical role in managing information and technology within federal agencies. According to GAO‘s 2004 review, CIOs generally held wide responsibilities and reported to their agency heads or other top level managers. In general, CIOs reported that they were responsible for key information and technology management areas; for example, all the CIOs were responsible for five key areas (capital planning and investment management, enterprise architecture, information security, strategic planning for information technology and information resource management, and information technology workforce planning). However, in carrying out their responsibilities, the tenure of federal CIOs was often less than the length of time that some experts consider necessary for them to be effective and implement changes: the median tenure was about 2 years, and the most common response regarding time required to be effective was 3 to 5 years. In contrast, CIOs were generally helped in carrying out their responsibilities by the background and experience they brought to the job: most had background in information technology (IT) or related fields, and many also had business knowledge related to their agencies. Other factors that help CIOs meet their responsibilities include (1) being supported by senior executives who recognize the importance to their missions of IT and an effective CIO; (2) playing an influential role in applying IT to business needs; and (3) being able to structure their organizations appropriately. At the same time, CIOs cited several challenges, of which the two most frequently mentioned were implementing effective IT management and obtaining sufficient and relevant resources. Over time, the CIO position at VA, as well as information and technology management as a whole, has received increased attention at the department. After several years with CIOs whose primary duty was not information and technology management or who were serving in an acting capacity, the department appointed a full-time permanent CIO in August 2001. In 2002, the department proposed further strengthening the position and centralizing IT management, recognizing that aspects of its computing environment were particularly challenging and required substantial management attention. In particular, the department‘s information systems and services were highly decentralized, and a large proportion of the department‘s IT budget was controlled by the VA‘s administrations and staff offices. To address these challenges, the Secretary issued a memo in 2002 announcing that IT functions, programs, and funding would be centralized under the department-level CIO. This realignment held promise for improving accountability and enabling the department to accomplish its mission. The additional oversight afforded the CIO could have a significant impact on the department‘s ability to more effectively account for and manage its IT spending. www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-1017T. To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on the link above. For more information, contact Linda Koontz at (202) 512- 6240 or koontzl@gao.gov. [End of section] Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: Thank you for inviting us to take part in your discussion of the information technology organization at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). In carrying out its mission of serving our nation's veterans, the department relies heavily on information technology, for which it is requesting about $2.1 billion in funding for fiscal year 2006. The CIO will play a vital role in ensuring that this money is well spent and that information technology is managed effectively. As we have previously reported, an effective CIO can make a significant difference in building the institutional capacity that is needed to improve an agency's ability to manage information and technology and thus enhance program performance. At your request, we will discuss the role of CIOs in the federal government, as well as providing a historical perspective on the roles and responsibilities of VA's CIO. In developing this testimony, we reviewed our previous work in this area. All work covered in this testimony was performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Results in Brief: Since the Clinger-Cohen act established the CIO position in 1996, federal CIOs have played a central role in managing information and technology within federal agencies. According to CIOs at major departments and agencies, they generally held wide responsibilities and reported to their agency heads or other top level managers.[Footnote 1] In general, CIOs reported that they were responsible for key information and technology management areas; for example, all the CIOs were responsible for five key areas (capital planning and investment management, enterprise architecture, information security, strategic planning for information technology and information resource management, and information technology workforce planning). In carrying out these responsibilities, the tenure of federal CIOs was often less than the length of time that some experts consider necessary for them to be effective and implement changes: the median tenure was about 2 years, and the most common response regarding time required to be effective was 3 to 5 years. In contrast, CIOs were generally helped in carrying out their responsibilities by the background and experience they brought to the job. Although their background was varied, most had background in information technology (IT) or related fields, many having previously served as CIOs; many also had business knowledge related to their agencies, having previously either worked at the agency or in an area related to its mission. Other factors that help CIOs meet their responsibilities effectively are described in guidance[Footnote 2] that we have issued; key among these are (1) being supported by senior executives who recognize the importance to their missions of IT and an effective CIO; (2) playing an influential role in applying IT to business needs; and (3) being able to structure their organizations appropriately. At the same time, CIOs cited several challenges, of which the two most frequently mentioned were implementing effective IT management and obtaining sufficient and relevant resources. Over time, VA has devoted increased attention to the CIO position and to IT management. After going for 2½ years after the passage of the Clinger-Cohen Act without a CIO, followed by 2 years with an executive whose time was divided among CIO and other major duties, and then 1 year with an acting CIO, the department appointed a full-time permanent CIO in August 2001. Since then, the department proposed further strengthening the position and centralizing IT management, recognizing that aspects of its computing environment were particularly challenging and required substantial management attention. In particular, the department's information systems and services were highly decentralized, and a large proportion of the department's IT budget was controlled by the VA's administrations and staff offices. To address these challenges, the Secretary issued a memo in 2002 announcing that IT functions, programs, and funding would be centralized under the department-level CIO. In our view, this realignment held promise for improving IT accountability and enabling the department to accomplish its mission. The additional oversight afforded the CIO could have a significant impact on the department's ability to more effectively account for and manage its approximately $2.1 billion in planned IT spending. Background: VA comprises three major components: the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).[Footnote 3] VA's mission is summed up in its mission statement, a quotation from Abraham Lincoln: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." VA carries out this mission by providing benefits and other services to veterans and dependents. The department's vision is to be a more customer-focused organization, functioning as "One VA." This vision stemmed from the recognition that veterans think of VA as a single entity, but often encountered a confusing, bureaucratic maze of uncoordinated programs that put them through repetitive and frustrating administrative procedures and delays. The "One VA" vision is to create versatile new ways for veterans to obtain services and information by streamlining interactions with customers and integrating IT resources to enable VA employees to help customers more quickly and effectively. This vision will require modifying or replacing separate information systems with integrated systems using common standards to share information across VA programs and with external partner organizations, such as the Department of Defense. Accordingly, effective management of its IT programs is vital to VA's successful achievement of its vision and mission. Table 1 shows a breakdown of VA's approximately $2.1 billion IT budget request for fiscal year 2006. Of the total, VHA accounted for approximately $1.8 billion, VBA approximately $150 million, and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) approximately $11 million. The remaining $84 million was allocated to the department level. Table 1: Breakdown of VA's Fiscal Year 2006 Information Technology Budget Request (in millions): Organization: VHA; Request: $1835; Request: 88%. Organization: VBA; Request: $150; Request: 7%. Organization: NCA; Request: $11; Request:

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