Summary

Effective information management--along with effective program management, human resource management, and financial management--plays a critical role in meeting an agency's mission and program objectives. In January 1994 testimony (GAO/T-OCG-94-1), the Comptroller General underscored the need for agencies to hire chief information officers who can help senior management (1) define strategic information management priorities and (2) support program officials and the chief financial officer in defining information needs and developing strategies, systems, and capabilities to meet those needs. This testimony focuses on the need to establish a chief information officer within the General Services Administration, which manages billions of dollars in federal property, administers the government's telephone service, and participates in the technology acquisitions of each federal agency.