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Department of Energy: Better Information Resources Management Needed to Accomplish Missions

IMTEC-92-53 Published: Sep 29, 1992. Publicly Released: Sep 29, 1992.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) information resources management (IRM) program in selected mission areas, focusing on whether: (1) information shortfalls interfere with fulfillment of managers' responsibilities; (2) DOE strategic IRM planning is linked to strategic mission planning; and (3) management control over acquisition and operation of information systems ensures compliance with applicable policies and requirements.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should work with senior program managers and the DSO to develop a clear vision of how better information and improved IRM can contribute to accomplishing critical missions, and commit the Department to making the vision a reality by, for example, establishing an executive-level committee--consisting of top program managers and DSO--to oversee IRM improvements.
Closed – Implemented
DOE formally established an Executive Committee for Information Management on January 25, 1995. The Committee is comprised of the most senior DOE executives. The Committee's Charter states that it will "champion the efforts to improve information management and leverage the information resources of the Department of Energy in the interests of mission accomplishment and service to the public."
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should clarify program manager and DSO responsibilities and authority to plan and control information resources throughout the Department, ensure that these managers are knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities, and ensure that adequate staff with appropriate management and technical skills are available to implement improved IRM practices.
Closed – Implemented
DOE's Designated Senior Official for IRM has now issued a document entitled "Information Management Roles and Responsibilities." The purpose of this document is to clearly set out the roles and responsibilities of the members of DOE's information management community. The document categorizes DOE's information management community into four organizational groupings, and sets out the responsibilities for each group.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should hold DSO and program office managers accountable for: (1) linking the IRM planning process to the Department's strategic mission planning process and preparing strategic and tactical plans--including information system architectures--that support the Department's strategic mission objectives; and (2) revising IRM policies, procedures, and processes to strengthen management control over headquarters, field office, and management and operations contractor IRM activities.
Closed – Implemented
DOE has taken action in two areas to implement this recommendation. It has issued an information management implementation plan, which is intended to ensure that information created and collected by DOE is provided to its internal and external customers and stakeholders in a timely, cost-effective, and efficient manner. Further, this plan is intended to make IRM an integral part of strategic planning. DOE has also established the Executive Committee for Information Management, which is intended to strengthen control over headquarters, field offices, and management and operations contractors' IRM activities.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should identify IRM deficiencies as a material internal control weakness under the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act (31 U.S.C. 3512) and require DSO and program managers throughout the Department to identify specific internal control weaknesses that hinder their ability to manage information resources. IRM activities should continue to be reported as a material internal control weakness until the Secretary has reasonable assurance that information resources are being applied efficiently and in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies.
Closed – Implemented
In the 1992 FMFIA Report to the President, the Secretary of Energy identified significant weaknesses in the IRM program as one of the Department's 14 material management control weaknesses, citing the findings and conclusions in this report.

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Topics

IT acquisitionsAgency missionsFederal procurementGeneral management reviewsInformation resources managementInformation systemsInternal controlsStrategic information systems planningEnvironmental restorationNuclear weapons