Justice and Law Enforcement:

[Better Guidance Would Improve ADP Evaluations in Support of the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act of 1982]

Jun 21, 1984

Contact:

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

GAO reviewed the first-year implementation of the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act of 1982 (FMFIA). GAO found that internal controls in automated data processing (ADP) systems have not been given adequate attention or coverage in FMFIA evaluations. GAO identified deficiencies in the following areas: (1) major ADP functions are sometimes ignored in the evaluation process, or large portions of the agency are excluded from ADP evaluations; (2) confusion exists in some cases about who is responsible for making ADP evaluations; (3) where ADP controls have been evaluated, the work did not fully address general and application controls; (4) many of the staff knowledgeable in ADP internal controls have only a limited role in the FMFIA process, and training provided to staff making the evaluations does not cover ADP internal controls. GAO believes that most, if not all, the problems noted can be mitigated by providing additional guidance or modifying existing guidance.