Department of Education: Management Commitment Needed to Improve Information Resources Management
IMTEC-92-17
Published: Apr 20, 1992. Publicly Released: Apr 20, 1992.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Education's strategic information resources management (IRM) planning process, focusing on how effectively Education plans for and manages its information resources in supporting its missions and administering its programs.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | To improve the use of information technology in Education, the Secretary of Education should develop a departmentwide IRM management strategy and plan that is linked to overall department goals and objectives. Such a strategy should include defining Education's information technology vision, how technology can be applied to support Education's mission, in partnership with Congress, states, and others who have a role in administering educational programs. |
Closed – Implemented
In compliance with this recommendation, a Department of Education "Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management" was completed in August and now has been published. This IRM Strategic Plan has been presented to the Management Audit Committee, the Senior Officers of the Department, and has been adopted by the senior IRM Officer. GAO has been briefed on the completed Strategic Plan.
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| Department of Education | To improve the use of information technology in Education, the Department of Education should direct the senior IRM official to develop, in conjunction with Education's key operating components, an effective departmentwide information planning process that meets federal guidance. This process should include reassessing information needs program by program. Specifically, it should: (1) identify who needs the information and when and why they need it; (2) determine what information Education already has and where it resides; (3) identify how Education can best collect the information it needs, but does not have; and (4) determine how Education can best structure its information and systems to use the information most effectively. |
Closed – Implemented
On April 9, 1992, the Secretary directed the senior IRM official to expand the mission of the Information Management Committee to specifically incorporate the recommendations. The departmentwide Strategic Planning process and IMC planning, analysis and interorganizational coordination activities will continue indefinitely.
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