Capital Ideas

apital planning is no easy exercise so it's fortunate that there are a host of guides, seminars and classes available to help you do it. Here are some suggestions.

• The "Capital Programming Guide," the Office of Management and Budget's handbook, is hot off the presses this month. To get a copy, call David Muzio at (202) 395-6805 or Scott Quehl at (202) 395-9128.
• OMB's Circular A-11 Part 3, "Planning, Budgeting and Acquisition of Fixed Assets," is on the Worldwide Web at www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB/html/circulars/a011/a11p31.pdf.
• OMB Director Franklin Raines' criteria for evaluating major information system investments are in his Oct. 25, 1996, memorandum at www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mke/capplan/raines.htm.
• "Principles of Budgeting for Capital Asset Acquisition," a fiscal 1998 budget document, is available for $2.75 from the Government Printing Office. Place an order by fax at (202) 512-2250. It's also on the Internet at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/budget/index.html.
• To improve planning for information technology assets, the General Accounting Office offers "Assessing Risks and Returns: A Guide for Evaluating Federal Agencies' IT Investment Decision-making," AIMD-10.1.13. February 1997, available on the Web at www.gao.gov/policy/itguide/index.htm.
• Capital Planning training is available under contract #CAFP-BPA-97-0048 on the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedule GS-35F-4465G. For more information, call (703) 769-5650 or visit www.leadscorp.com.
• GSA's office of the chief information officer produced its "Information Technology Capital Planning Guide" early this year. Call (202) 219-3062 to get a copy.
• A year ago, GSA published "An Analytical Framework for Capital Planning and Investment Control for Information Technology." Find it on the Web at www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mke/caplan1.htm.
• GSA's Office of Information Technology Web site called "Capital Planning for Program Effectiveness" offers information about capital planning workshops for IT professionals and more resources: www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mke/capplan/homepg.htm.
• Earned value mavens can delve more deeply into the planning tool on a Defense Department Web site devoted to it: www.acq.osd.mil/pm/.