BPA Management of ADP Systems Development Activities

GAO reviewed the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) management of automatic data processing (ADP) systems development activities. BPA has serious weaknesses in its ADP systems management, which GAO believes warrant immediate action. Because the ADP management plan lacks meaningful information about individual systems, is inaccurate, is not authoritative, and is not considered mandatory, the plan cannot be and has not been used as a tool to manage ADP systems. BPA top management has removed itself from managing ADP system developments. BPA does not estimate the costs or benefits of future systems and does not accumulate costs incurred to develop systems. Without this information, BPA cannot determine whether projects are justified and cannot manage the development process by stopping it if costs exceed plans. The Administrator of BPA should directly involve his in managing ADP resources to: (1) provide and endorse agencywide policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures governing ADP systems development; and (2) plan, approve, monitor, and review individual system developments by instituting thresholds requiring top-level review, standards for lower level review, and delegations of authority directly to individuals responsible for day-to-day ADP resources management. The Administrator should also improve ADP systems development planning by: (1) collecting ongoing, developmental, and operating costs for each system and comparing those costs to plans and estimated benefits; (2) identifying systems performing similar functions for different organizations; (3) identifying systems using, or with potential for using, data from other systems; (4) identifying costly and continuing developments; and (5) identifying and itemizing developments exceeding cost or other criteria requiring top management review. Further, the Administrator should implement a cost accounting and budget system that will allow tracking actual versus estimated system development and equipment use costs by application and should develop and enforce uniform agencywide policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures governing ADP systems development, including project management,