Once the system has been implemented, USCIS  expects that
Applicants will be able to establish an account with USCIS to file and  track the status of the application, petition, or request online. 2. DHS concurred with our recommendations. Moving forward, USCIS  estimates that its Transformation Program will now cost up to $3.1 billion  and be fully deployed no later than March 2019. This is an increase of approximately $1 billion and  delay of over 4 years from the initial baseline approved in July 2011. Changes to Transformation Program’s Acquisition Strategy Have Contributed to Missed Cost Savings and Deferral of Operational Efficiencies and Other Benefits

The changes in the Transformation Program’s acquisition strategy have  significantly impacted the program’s planned schedule targets, which in  turn have had negative effects on USCIS’s ability to achieve cost savings,  operational efficiencies, and other benefits. According to USCIS, this  increased use of IT should help achieve goals such as reducing the  immigration benefit backlog through business process change; improving  customer service through expanded electronic filing; and enhancing  national security by authenticating users and integrating with external  agency databases. Table 10 shows the extent to which each of the governance bodies met  the leading practices for performing oversight. Finally, the program’s two governance bodies did not implement two  leading practices:
Acquisition Review Board: The board did not make decisions based  on reliable cost, schedule, and performance information. For  example, in March 2013, the committee voted unanimously to migrate  to a new architecture for the Transformation Program. This approval  was based, in part, on the cost analysis reported by USCIS. However,  this analysis included cost savings that did not fully account for the  added costs for merging and migrating data from the old architecture. The ability of USCIS, DHS, Congress, and OMB to effectively monitor  program performance and make informed program decisions will continue  to be limited until department-level governance and oversight bodies  more effectively use reliable program information to inform their program  evaluations. To improve Transformation Program governance, we further recommend  that the Secretary of DHS direct the DHS Under Secretary for  Management, in coordination with the Director of US Citizenship and  Immigration Services, to ensure that the Executive Steering Committee is  effectively monitoring the Transformation Program’s performance and  progress toward a predefined cost and schedule and relying on complete  and accurate program data to review the performance of the  Transformation Program against stated expectations. The  department described actions it has taken and plans to take to address  this recommendation. GAO staff who made major  contributions to this report are listed in appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to (1) determine the status of the Transformation  Program, including the impact of changes made to the acquisition  strategy and (2) assess the extent to which the Department of Homeland  Security (DHS) and the U.S. To determine the extent to which DHS and USCIS are executing effective  program oversight and governance, we reviewed DHS acquisition  management policy, analyzed roles and responsibilities, and reviewed the  execution of these roles and responsibilities against relevant policy,  guidance, and leading practices. We determined these  assessments were unreliable as discussed in the report.
Why GAO Did This Study

Each year, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) USCIS processes millions of applications for persons seeking to study, work, visit, or live in the United States. USCIS has been working since 2005 to transform its outdated systems into an account-based system with electronic adjudication and case management tools that will allow applicants to apply and track the progress of their application online. In 2011, USCIS reported that this effort, called the Transformation Program, was to be completed no later than June 2014 at a cost of up to $2.1 billion.
Given the critical importance of the Transformation Program, GAO was asked to review it. This report (1) discusses the program's current status, including the impact of changes made, and (2) assesses the extent to which DHS and USCIS are executing effective program oversight and governance.
To do so, GAO reviewed DHS and USCIS documents, interviewed relevant officials, and compared program documentation and actions to DHS and USCIS policy and guidance and GAO and industry leading information technology practices.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) currently expects that its Transformation Program will cost up to $3.1 billion and be fully deployed no later than March 2019, which is an increase of approximately $1 billion and delay of over 4 years from its initial July 2011 baseline. In March 2012, the program began to significantly change its acquisition strategy to address various technical challenges (see table).
Key Changes to the Transformation Program's Acquisition Strategy
Source: GAO analysis of USCIS documentation. | GAO-15-415
These changes have significantly delayed the program's planned schedule, which in turn has had adverse effects on when USCIS expects to achieve cost savings, operational efficiencies, and other benefits. Among other things, USCIS has yet to achieve the goal of enhancing national security by authenticating users and integrating with external agency databases.
While the program's two key governance bodies have taken actions aligned with leading IT management practices, neither has used reliable information to make decisions and inform external reporting (see table). For example, one governing body's vote in March 2013 to migrate to a new architecture was based in part on savings that did not account for the added costs of merging data from the old architecture. The ability of USCIS, DHS, and Congress to effectively monitor program performance may be limited until these bodies more effectively use reliable information to inform their program evaluations.
Extent to Which Program Governance Bodies Met Leading Practices for Oversight
● Implemented ◐ Partially implemented ○ Not implemented
Source: GAO analysis of USCIS documentation. | GAO-15-415

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making recommendations to DHS components and offices to improve governance and oversight of the Transformation Program. DHS agreed with the recommendations, but did not agree with GAO's evaluation of the impact of changes made to the acquisition strategy. GAO maintains its position on the impact of changes, as discussed in the report.