Information Technology and Government Operations

This article, which appeared in the GAO Journal, No. 5, Spring 1989, discusses the federal government's use of information technology. Although computer information technology offers government agencies the opportunity to compensate for scarcity of resources by getting more work done with less money and fewer workers, managers and developers of such systems must know how to effectively and efficiently apply the appropriate technology to their needs and missions. Many federal managers have failed to plan adequately for the implementation of new technology or for more long-range institutional goals.