Last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) kicked off in-person TechStat training sessions, assisting CIO Council agencies in preparing to hold agency-level TechStat accountability reviews. Over 75 staff from all CFO Act agencies have attended the trainings.

A TechStat is a face-to-face, evidence-based review of a troubled IT project. Previously, TechStats had been managed by OMB, but agencies will now “take the reins,” convening sessions internally.

TechStats are playing a vital role in the Administration’s 25 Point Implementation Plan To Reform Federal IT Management, a government-wide initiative to reduce wasteful IT spending. The 25-Point Implementation Plan calls for CIOs to stand up the TechStat model at the departmental level by March – and at the bureau level within 18 months – to turn around or terminate at least one-third of poorly performing projects in their portfolios.

“Given the size and complexity of the multi-billion dollar Federal IT portfolio, we must relentlessly focus on the health of IT investments across the government,” noted Vivek Kundra, United States CIO. “Being smarter in how we invest in technology can help us make sure that our government is both more efficient and more effective.”

A Decision-Making Tool

The training sessions are centered on the TechStat Toolkit, a product designed by OMB to specifically provide guidance on holding agency TechStats. The Toolkit offers templates that cover everything from briefing staff on the TechStat model to creating an action plan for correcting problems.

The trainings emphasize that TechStats are not informational briefings or reviews of “business as usual” – rather, they should be triggered by poor performance and facilitate decision-making regarding the future of investments.