The federal government plans to invest more than $89 billion on information technology in fiscal year 2017. Typically, these investments have failed, gotten mired in cost overruns and missed deadlines or contributed little to mission-related outcomes. As a result, in December 2014, Congress passed the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), a law that represents the first major overhaul of federal IT acquisition and investment in almost 20 years. Since FITARA’s enactment, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published guidance to agencies to ensure the law is applied consistently governmentwide in a way that is both workable and effective. Nearly two years after passage of FITARA, however, federal CIOs struggle with reporting out and communicating IT challenges and the value of IT investments, especially in the face of FITARA requirements.
In September 2016, GovLoop and Apptio conducted a survey of 295 public-sector employees to gain insight into how federal agency IT managers are reporting out and communicating issues around FITARA improvements and IT investments. Additionally, the survey sought to gain better insight into government employees’ understanding of and challenges in implementing FITARA, as well as their awareness of Technology Business Management (TBM), a methodology that connects IT spending with the outcomes they are deployed to serve.
Want more? Download our infographic, where you’ll see why gov is struggling to communicate IT costs and how an approach called Technology Business Management can help clarify the value of IT and better meet FITARA mandates.
