USDA Restructuring: Refocus Info Share Program on Business Processes Rather Than Technology

USDA reported that this recommendation is completed. However, USDA does not have Under and Assistant Secretaries personally and directly involved and responsible for directing reengineering efforts. Rather, the four reengineering efforts that USDA initiated are headed by Deputy Administrators acting as executive sponsors. Also, these officials do not appear to be directly and personally involved. The extent that the Secretaries participate is limited to a broad policy level role for BPR, and even though USDA reports it has a BPR Management Review Board, this board consists primarily of the Deputy Administrators for Program who only play an advisory and assistance role, rather than being directly and personally involved. Consequently, the action USDA has taken is not fully responsive to the recommendation.

In January 1995, USDA first reported that it hired a senior program manager for Info Share who was responsible for day-to-day operation of this program, including reengineering. However, this person did not report directly to Under/Assistant Secretaries. USDA disbanded Info Share in December 1995, released the manager, and moved reengineering efforts under its Service Center Implementation initiative, which is under the responsibility of the Executive Officer of the National FAC . Later, USDA reported this recommendation was complete because the Executive Officer of the National FAC is responsible for managing the Service Center BPR program. While this individual is a senior manager, he is not responsible for managing the project on a day-to-day basis. USDA has since hired a manager who is responsible for BPR, but this person neither reports to the Under/Assistant Secretaries nor has responsibility for mission-related business processes.

USDA has established an interagency BPR working team under the overall reorganization implementation structure. Also, the Deputy Secretary directed USDA officials to identify and appropriately reengineer business processes to achieve the goal of one-stop shopping in USDA county-based service centers.

USDA has developed budgets for the BPR efforts with funding to provide reengineering training to BPR team members on a just in time basis and to acquire consultant expertise. So far, BPR teams have received such training before key BPR activities took place. Also, each BPR effort is being facilitated by a contractor with proven expertise in BPR methodology.

USDA initiated 4 reengineering teams to focus on Customer Service, Customer Referral and Information, Administrative, and Geospatial Information. Only a few of these teams analyzed as-is processes for only a few of the programs. In August 1997, these teams collectively developed 17 recommendations for business improvements. USDA says that it intends to measure the results of these recommendations in testing and post-deployment against Service Center, agency, and departmental goals. This will be difficult to do as USDA has not developed measures that could be used to track processes' quality, cost, and service. GAO issued a report in August 1998 (AIMD-98-168) that includes recommendations for USDA to develop performance measures. GAO will now monitor USDA's progress to meet the new report's recommendations and therefore this recommendation is no longer applicable.

USDA initiated 4 reengineering projects, but these only resulted in recommendations in August 1997 for business improvements. USDA's plans show that it will be reengineering mission-related business processes during fiscal years 1998 and 1999. In August 1998, GAO issued a report (AIMD-98-168) that found that USDA has acquired IT and plans to acquire even more IT prior to defining new business processes. In the new report, GAO therefore recommended that USDA first develop the new mission-critical business processes necessary to provide one-stop service before investing additional money to modernize IT for the service centers. Consequently, this recommendation is no longer applicable, as GAO will monitor USDA's efforts to reengineer processes in response to AIMD-98-168.

Accomplishments reports were prepared after USDA deferred awarding nationwide contracts in fiscal years 1994 and 1995. However, the action taken was not fully responsive because in FY 1996, USDA obligated $70 million to implement LAN/WAN/Voice equipment in all 2,500 of its new Service Centers, even though it was before business process reengineering was completed. Therefore, not all nationwide contracts had been deferred. USDA's plans show that it expects to award additional nationwide contracts for new servers and other technology in fiscal years 1998 and 1999. GAO's August 1998 report (AIMD-98-168) again made recommendations to USDA that it complete business process reengineering before acquiring additional IT for the service centers. Consequently, GAO will monitor USDA's efforts to purchase new IT in response to AIMD-98-168.

USDA reported that it has completed this and has met its emergency and critical IRM requirements. In this regard, USDA has acquired new IT equipment on an ad hoc basis to replace much of its existing equipment. However, no evidence exists to show USDA has directed the agencies to systematically determine and document critical technology needs, and agencies do not have documentation to show that they did this. Nevertheless, purchases were made to meet technology needs.

USDA reported that it has completed this recommendation. However, USDA's actions were not fully responsive. USDA agencies moved ahead to purchase personal computers, servers, and mini-computers to replace existing equipment. However, USDA did not complete analysis and documentation to show that it had pursued the most cost-effective options.