Technological innovation Business enterprise Administration: OMB and GSA Have to have to Improve Attempts to Lead Federal Adoption

What GAO Observed

The Place of work of Administration and Finances (OMB) and General Services Administration (GSA) have taken actions to lead govt-huge Technological know-how Enterprise Management adoption, but progress and final results are constrained.

• OMB’s initial 2017 ideas for authorities-broad adoption demanded organizations to report IT expending making use of groups in the to start with two layers. OMB continued to need reporting of these two levels in subsequent strategies. Having said that, 5 a long time right after setting up initial options, OMB experienced not expanded on specifications to involve the rest of the taxonomy—the types in layers 3 and 4, and subcategories for all levels (see figure).

Extent That the Office of Administration and Budget’s (OMB) Designs Addressed Features of the Technology Business Administration Taxonomy Version 3.

• OMB and GSA assisted agency attempts to apply the Know-how Small business Administration framework by, for instance, developing implementation steering and a maturity model evaluation tool. Nevertheless, OMB and GSA have not assessed company maturity. Further, they have not analyzed the excellent of agencies’ facts described in the 1st two layers.
• OMB and GSA unveiled agency-claimed data on the federal government’s IT Dashboard (levels 1 and 2), but did not disclose that about $31 billion in fiscal year 2021 investments ended up excluded. Even further, they have not analyzed inconsistencies in fiscal calendar year 2022 data, or tackled use of benchmarking that would empower paying out comparisons to corporations of equivalent dimensions or mission.

OMB and GSA officers sustain that Engineering Organization Administration implementation continues to be a precedence. Yet, right until OMB establishes documented ideas and agency anticipations for the remainder of the taxonomy, uncertainty will cloud agency efforts. Additional, the continuing absence of OMB path could avoid the federal governing administration from fully reaching supposed positive aspects these as optimizing IT spending.

Why GAO Did This Research

The authorities has confronted longstanding difficulties in IT administration and shelling out transparency. In 2017, OMB introduced its intention to enhance insights into IT expending through authorities-vast adoption of the Know-how Business enterprise Management Council’s framework.

This framework gives a common taxonomy that is organized into 4 levels (cost pools, IT towers, items and products and services, and business enterprise units and capabilities) meant to display an organization’s complete IT shelling out from distinct perspectives. These 4 levels are comprised of spending classes and subcategories.

GAO was questioned to report on Technological know-how Small business Administration implementation. GAO’s aim was to determine progress OMB and GSA have built in the authorities-extensive adoption energy. To do so, GAO analyzed and as opposed strategies in opposition to suitable criteria, this sort of as Technologies Business Management Council guidance. It also analyzed information, as claimed by agencies for fiscal many years 2021 and 2022, and interviewed related officials.