Top 10 challenges for federal techies

Federal technology professionals say their top challenges are measuring performance, preparing computers for the year 2000 and developing an information technology architecture, according to a new survey.

Each year, the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) conducts a survey of federal IT managers and executives to find out the top 10 challenges they face. The top five challenges IT professionals listed in 1998 were the same as in 1997, though the order of priorities changed. Performance measurement jumped from the fourth most important challenge to first, Y2K bumped up from third to second, developing an IT architecture dropped from first to third, and implementing an IT capital plan dropped from second to fourth. Aligning IT goals with agency goals stood in fifth place both years.

The survey also asked the techies to rate the most important technologies for federal agencies. Security technology topped the charts, followed by Internet/intranet/Web/network computing, knowledge management, data warehousing and electronic commerce applications.

Here are the top ten IT challenges, according to the survey:

1. Measuring IT contribution to mission performance: Justifying how the $26 billion agencies spend each year on IT helps agencies do a better job. The 1993 Government Performance and Results Act and the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act require agencies to prove that their IT investments are worthwhile.
2. Ensuring year 2000 operations: Preventing federal systems from malfunctioning after the century change. Many agencies have had to put off other computer investments to make sure Y2K doesn't disable their operations.
3. Formulating or implementing an agency IT architecture: Figuring out what systems an agency has, what those systems do and how they relate to one another. This is a crucial first step toward good IT management. Without a clear picture of what they have and what they need, it's hard for executives to make wise IT decisions.
4. Implementing IT capital planning and investment management across the agency: Buying computers and programs that the agency needs most. Without a comprehensive plan, agencies tend to buy redundant systems or technology that is not particularly essential.
5. Aligning IT and organizational mission goals: Making sure IT programs are useful to agency operations. Basing IT goals on agency goals can help IT professionals figure out what they really need to make the agency achieve better results.
6. (Three-way tie) Using IT to improve service to customers/stakeholders/citizens: Using technology to meet public expectations for faster, cheaper and more readily available services.
   Obtaining adequate resources: Getting enough money.
   Identifying specific CIO/IRM measures/outcomes under GPRA and reporting on the results: Meeting Government Performance and Results Act requirements to show what agencies are getting for the money they spend on IT.
7. Controlling IT budgets: Meeting the Y2K challenge, keeping IT up-to-date and keeping skilled staff in the face of stagnant funding.
8. (Two-way tie) Integrating or consolidating program/administrative information systems: Getting computer systems to talk to each other. Many agencies' systems don't share information, making it hard for agencies to collect and analyze budget and performance data.
   Ensuring public access to information: The Internet and other communication technologies are both making it easier to provide information to the public and increasing the demand for information. Agencies must weigh security and privacy concerns when deciding what information to make public.

   AFFIRM leaders said they hope the survey will help the CIO Council, a governmentwide panel of agencies' top IT executives, understand the key technology challenges facing the federal government.