FAA’s mission performance depends on the adequacy and reliability of the  nation’s air traffic control system. An Enterprise Architecture Is Critical to Successful Systems Modernization

Effective use of enterprise architectures, or modernization blueprints, is a  trademark of successful public and private organizations. OMB has released Version 1.0 of the profile. Our experience with federal agencies  has shown that making IT investments without defining these investments  in the context of an architecture often results in systems that are  duplicative, not well integrated, and unnecessarily costly to maintain and  interface. The agency also reports that it has allocated  adequate resources to these project offices and that chief architects have  been assigned to head the architecture projects. However, FAA has not  established other key architecture management capabilities, such as  designating a committee or group representing the enterprise to direct,  oversee, or approve the architecture effort; having an approved policy for  developing, maintaining, and implementing the architecture; and fully  developing architecture products that meet contemporary guidance and  describe both the “As Is” and “To Be” environments and a sequencing plan  for transitioning between the two. FAA Has Yet to Implement Key Best Practices for Managing Its NAS Architecture Project

As we first reported in 1997, it is critical that FAA have and use a  comprehensive NAS architecture to guide and constrain its air traffic  control system investment decisions. Develop an architecture program management plan. Further, it has established a  project office that is responsible for architecture development and  maintenance and has assigned a chief architect to the project. Our research of successful organizations and our experience in reviewing  other agencies’ enterprise architecture efforts show that not having these  controls is, among other things, a function of limited senior management  understanding of and commitment to an enterprise architecture and  cultural resistance to having and using one. These officials stated that the agency recognizes  the need to establish an effective non-NAS architecture project, and it  intends to do so. For example, the agency’s strategic plan includes the goal  of having an approved enterprise architecture policy requiring the  development, maintenance, and implementation of an enterprise  architecture by September 2005, and the agency intends to establish a  steering committee. Objective, Scope, and Methodology

Our objective was to determine whether the Federal Aviation  Administration (FAA) has established effective processes for managing the  development and implementation of an enterprise architecture.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) mission is to promote the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the U.S. airspace system. To this end, FAA is modernizing its air traffic control systems, a multibillion dollar effort that GAO has designated as a high-risk program. GAO's research into the practices of successful public- and private-sector organizations has shown that developing and using an enterprise architecture, or blueprint, to guide and constrain systems investments is crucial to the success of such a modernization effort. GAO was asked to determine whether FAA has established effective processes for managing the development and implementation of an enterprise architecture.

What GAO Found

FAA has two architecture projects--one for its National Airspace System (NAS) operations and one for its administrative and mission support activities--that together constitute its enterprise architecture program. However, it has established only a few of the management capabilities for effectively developing, maintaining, and implementing an architecture. For example, the agency reports that it has allocated adequate resources to the projects, and it has established project offices to be responsible for developing the architecture, designated a chief architect for each project, and released Version 5.0 of its NAS architecture. But the agency has yet to establish other key architecture management capabilities--such as designating a committee or group that represents the enterprise to direct, oversee, or approve the architecture, and establishing an architecture policy. FAA agreed that the agency needs an effective enterprise architecture program and stated that it plans to improve its management of both projects. For example, the agency intends to establish a steering committee; develop a policy that will govern the development, maintenance, and implementation of the architecture program; and have an approved architecture project management plan for the non-NAS architecture. GAO's experience in reviewing other agencies has shown that not having an effective enterprise architecture program can be attributed to, among other things, an absence of senior management understanding and support and cultural resistance to having and using one. It has also shown that attempting major systems modernization programs like FAA's without having and using an enterprise architecture often results in system implementations that are duplicative, are not well integrated, require costly rework to interface, and do not effectively optimize mission performance.