U.S. Department of Transportation

HIGH RISK ISSUE

FAA Modernization Program

Problem:  FAA Modernization Programs were not meeting cost and schedule targets.

Goal:  Improve the ability to identify, build, and field air traffic control (ATC) systems in a timely, cost-effective, and technically effective and efficient manner.

Goal/Action(s)

  • Institutionalize best practices and/or improved system management capabilities on all new major programs
  • Selected in-process major programs and all new acquisition programs follow a standard acquisition management process based on industry best practices
  • Institutionalize compliance assessment capability
  • Implement and enforce a complete enterprise architecture (EA)
  • Achieve Stage 3 of the Government Accountability Office EA Maturity Model
  • Improve cost estimating and cost accounting practices, and achieve a “clean financial audit”
  • Publish and implement a lifecycle cost model that will be used with all major investments
  • Implement quarterly reporting on the status of programs staying within annual cost targets at Flight Plan reviews
  • Obtain a clean audit of our financial statements for fiscal year (FY) 2007 and lift the qualifications of the FY-06 statements
  • Integrate information technology (IT) investment and management best practices across the agency
  • Establish a process for the FAA Investment Review Board to regularly review the performance of IT systems throughout their lifecycles and take corrective actions when expected performance is not being met
  • Achieve Stage 3 of the GAO Information Technology Investment Management framework
  • Maintain and grow the technical and contract management expertise needed to define, implement, and integrate numerous complex programs and systems
  • Ensure contracting professionals have required training and skill sets and the FAA has sufficient “bench strength” to meet future needs
  • Ensure program/project managers are certified according to standards set by the Project Management Institute and assigned in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget and related agency documented policy and processes
  • Continue to maintain a track record of meeting our planned deployment targets
  • Implement full earned value management for all major acquisitions
  • Implement breach reporting (cost or schedule variance greater than 5 and 10%)

Last updated: 9/30/2008