Skip to main content

Defense IRM: Management Commitment Needed to Achieve Defense Data Administration Goals

AIMD-94-14 Published: Jan 21, 1994. Publicly Released: Feb 07, 1994.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to improve defense data administration and progress in implementing the Corporate Information Management (CIM) initiative.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To ensure that corporate DOD data requirements are properly identified, the Secretary of Defense should require Defense Principal Staff Assistants to document their business methods and performance measures prior to developing process and data models, in accordance with the CIM model.
Closed – Implemented
DOD disagreed that it should strictly follow the CIM model in a "top-down" fashion to determine data requirements. However, the department has proceeded to develop functional process models and provide them to DOD components for review.
Department of Defense To ensure that data administration efforts more effectively support DOD data administration goals, the Secretary of Defense should require the ASD/C3I to apply the CIM model to clearly determine the DOD data administration methods, performance measures, processes, and data needed to manage DOD corporate data resources. The ASD/C3I should solicit active participation of DOD data administration customers--including functional managers, component data administrators, and information system developers--in determining these requirements.
Closed – Implemented
DOD has completed a functional process improvement model for data administration and has provided the model to functional managers and DOD components for validation.
Department of Defense To ensure that data administration efforts more effectively support DOD data administration goals, the Secretary of Defense should require the ASD/C3I to cancel DDRS operation and support activities and take steps to acquire an information resource dictionary system based on the data administration process and data requirements identified.
Closed – Implemented
DOD disagreed with GAO's recommendation to cancel DDRS. The Department believes the repository is satisfying basic requirements for data administration and was facilitating the development and coordination of standard data.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Computer networksDatabasesData integrityInformation resources managementManagement information systemsMilitary communicationRequirements definitionSystems compatibilityInformation managementData administration