E-Gov Guidance Looks Promising But CIOs Don’t Expect Progress

The govt. also failed to meet a 2005 goal for filling half of agencies’ identified IT workforce gaps. In 2006, OMB wants to achieve the 50% goal and said the CIO Council, an interagency body for govt. IT chiefs, will help recruit. The Administration also wants at least 50% of agencies managing IT by the Earned Value Management (EVM) standard. As of Sept. 30, 28% of agencies and departments were using EVM. Another 52% use EVM to track major IT projects’ cost and schedule status, with no agencies reporting cost overruns or scheduling delays exceeding 30%, the report said. OMB also wants 90% of agencies with acceptable business cases for all systems in 2006. The 2005 goal was 75%.

E-Gov efforts will move near term from the development and implementation phase to mature service supported by fees, the report said. The E-Gov program will keep identifying IT opportunities for collaboration and consolidation via the Federal Enterprise Architecture framework, the report said. The goal is “to ensure reliability, security and continuity of services to the point where they are thought of as utilities just like electricity and water,” OMB said.

OMB’s E-Gov office will provide leadership and support for: (1) Common practical solutions. (2) Interoperability, with adoption of data standards and modernization efforts in lieu of legacy systems incapable of providing upgrades or cross agency support. (3) Improved service that focuses on the citizen. (4) Adoption of best practices and shutting down ancillary and duplicative systems across govt. “By setting high goals and working closely with agencies, we are delivering better value for taxpayers,” said OMB Deputy Dir. for Management Clay Johnson said.

But confidence in White House E-Gov projects is declining among senior govt. technology managers, according to Assn. for Federal Information Resources Management (AFIRM) data. Only 15% of respondents said they expect significant progress on their E-Gov projects; 26% said they don’t expect progress; and 56% reported mixed success. Last year, 44% said they were optimistic about progress, and 10% had no expectations. Govt. workers said E-Gov initiatives must be aligned with the budget cycle, a plan for long-term support is needed and progress across projects is inconsistent.

AFIRM asked members about the IT staff gap. About 46% indicated it’s narrower or closed, while 31% said the problem remained unchanged in 2005. Some respondents (18%) said they fear the gap is widening, citing lack of training and funding. The war in Iraq and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina hurt IT managers’ bottom lines. About 63% of respondents said wars and disasters could cut their budgets, 17% expect no change and 9% said IT budgets would rise as a result. Nearly 70% of workers said they believe the IT infrastructure that supports their departments or agencies is less vulnerable since 9/11.

Respondents’ citations of main challenges were consistent with previous years. Eight of 2004’s top 10 woes kept roughly the same rank, AFIRM said. Aligning IT and organizational mission goals remains the No. 1 challenge faced by CIOs, with getting enough funding again a somewhat close 2nd. The challenge of “building effective relationships” tied for 2nd and “hiring and retaining skilled professionals” also remains a high priority.

This year’s E-Gov report sets modest goals for 2006. A problem with the plan is rooted in the Administration’s integration capabilities. Conflicting themes have persisted since early in the Bush White House -- E-Gov efforts, focused on 24 ongoing projects, and efforts at streamlining federal enterprise architecture (FEA), said Information Renaissance Exec. Dir. Robert Carlitz. OMB sometimes has had difficulty reconciling the thrusts, and only when E-Gov lines up with the FEA can “services of genuine long-term value” result.

The gap is illustrated in a discrepancy in the report, Carlitz said. Enterprise architecture is described in broad, visionary terms -- but just pages later are much more limited goals -- “nothing more than the elimination of redundant business functions, processes and technologies,” Carlitz said. OMB also continues to ignore is “the whole idea of public participation or e-governance,” he said. He said the Administration’s narrow emphasis on service delivery may explain why the U.S. tops the UN’s Online Network in Public Administration and Finance e-readiness index but trails the U.K. and Singapore on the e-participation index. “Clearly this is an area where the U.S. could be doing better,” he said.

Davis: Govt. ‘Can and Should Do More’

Capitol Hill reaction varied to the OMB report. Homeland Security and Govt. Affairs Committee Ranking Member Lieberman (D-Conn.) raised concerns about the OMB guidance. Lieberman, author of 2002’s E-Gov Act, which mandated more public access to govt. data, said he has “serious concerns” about whether OMB’s new guidelines comply with the law. He said he will ask OMB to explain how the policy meets statutory mandates.

Prior to the 2002 law, the federal govt. moved at an “Old Economy speed” on IT, House Govt. Reform Committee Chmn. Davis (R-Va.) said. Agencies developed E-Gov projects in isolation, by jurisdiction, rather than according to function and need, he said. The 2002 law, which Davis sponsored in the House, has “helped unleash the information revolution in Washington and bring an analog government into the digital age.”

Davis voiced pleasure at govt.-wide success implementing E-Gov initiatives but said as the high-tech economy proceeds Congress must ensure govt. uses the latest technologies to improve efficiency. “We can and should do more, especially in the area of cybersecurity,” Davis said, calling effective use of technology “the best vehicle we have for the creation and maintenance of good government.”