Bureau of Land Management: Plan Needed to Sustain Progress in Establishing IT Investment Management Capabilities

In September 2005, BLM issued its Information Technology Investment Management (ITIM) Process Maturity Plan to document the bureau's strategy to manage its IT investment for achieving a higher level of ITIM maturity capability. This plan, based on the results of a self-assessment of the core elements/key practices for Stage 2 of GAO's ITIM Guide, identifies tasks and milestones for achieving Stage 2 and 3 process maturity. The plan states that BLM would use tools, such as self-assessments and IV & V analysis, to (1) specify measurable goals, objectives, milestones, and outcomes, (2) specify needed resources, and (3) assign clear responsibilities and accountability for accomplishing well-defined tasks. BLM provided evidence of its most recent Stages 2 and 3 self-assessments for the second and third quarters of fiscal year 2007, both of which indicated 100 percent implementation of Stages 2 and 3 critical processes. The bureau also provided an example of an IV & V analysis performed on a major IT investment.

In September 2005, BLM issued its Information Technology Investment Management Process Maturity Plan to document the bureau's strategy to manage its IT investments. According to BLM officials, the BLM Director has provided the needed resources (i.e., contract support and funding) to support implementing the plan. In addition, assessments of progress in implementing the plan are reported to the Secretary of the Interior on a quarterly basis. BLM provided evidence of the most recent Stages 2 and 3 assessments for the second and third quarters of fiscal year 2007.

In September 2005, BLM issued an IT Capital Planning and Investment Control Guide (CPIC Guide) which, among other things, documents the processes and activities to be followed in evaluating IT investments and identifying corrective actions if necessary. The CPIC Guide requires the completion of quarterly scorecards to provide project status on cost, schedule, benefits, and risks. The guide also requires a Corrective Action Report for those projects outside the acceptable control range. BLM provided evidence of a quarterly scorecard for a major BLM investment. Also, a BLM official reported that none of BLM's systems have required a corrective action plan since the requirement for developing a corrective action plan was written into the CPIC Guide in 2005.

BLM issued user guides for the Budget Planning System (BPS) and another system named Electronic Capital Planning and Investment Control System (eCPIC) that specify that these systems are to be used to collect project and system information for managing and controlling BLM's IT initiatives. The guides were issued in January and March 2006, respectively. In addition, the bureau's update of its IT Capital Planning and Investment Control Guide, which is currently undergoing review (as of 8/24/07), includes guidance on the use of BPS and eCPIC to support the investment management process. BLM officials also provided evidence that the systems are being used for collecting project and system information to help the agency in the management and control of its initiatives, portfolios, and investment priorities.

In September 2005, BLM issued an IT Capital Planning and Investment Control Guide (CPIC Guide) which, among other things, defines procedures for pre-selecting and selecting IT investments, including the specific criteria to be used in analyzing and prioritizing the IT investments being presented to the IT Investment Board and other executive management committees. The criteria are consistent with the GAO ITIM framework's requirements for criteria, in that they address, for example, organizational objectives, customer needs, and cost benefit analyses.

BLM's Information Technology Investment Management Process Maturity Plan, dated September 2005, includes steps for defining and implementing Stage 3 criteria processes, including performing a self assessment. On a quarterly basis, the bureau is to submit an ITIM Stage 3 self-assessment status report to the Department, which outlines the progress made in achieving 100 percent implementation of Stage 3 practices. BLM provided evidence of the most recent assessments for the second and third quarters of fiscal year 2007, both of which indicated 100 percent implementation of Stage 3 critical processes.