However, AOC has not implemented a key recommendation related to  communicating with external stakeholders—to develop protocols that  establish and clarify service and expectation levels with congressional  stakeholders. However, the agency still needs to evaluate  the impact of the new performance measures on its current evaluation  criteria and make any necessary changes. AOC is working to correct  these weaknesses. In  August 2004, we found that the plan was not sufficiently detailed to guide  and communicate the agency’s performance and progress and  recommended that the Architect of the Capitol and the COO consult with  members of Congress and key committees on the specific information  regarding AOC’s plans, policies, procedures, actions, and proposed  organizational changes in order to enhance the usefulness of the COO  action plan. For example, AOC has made progress in  addressing elements of AOC project management that were recommended  to be included in the action plan and has consulted with congressional  stakeholders on project management initiatives, such as prioritizing  projects and establishing a new project management organization. However, AOC’s major construction projects generally take  between 5 and eight years to complete, so it is too early to determine the  results of AOC’s initiatives to improve project management. Appendix II provides a more complete summary of AOC’s progress in  improving project management. Appendix III provides a more complete summary of AOC’s progress in  improving facilities management. We are also sending this report to the Architect of the Capitol. Major contributors to this report are listed  in appendix V.

Summary of AOC’s Progress on General Management Review Recommendations

Under the congressional mandate to monitor the Architect of the Capitol’s  (AOC) progress, we evaluated AOC’s response to 54 recommendations in  seven areas: strategic management, human capital management, project  management, worker safety, recycling, financial management, and  information technology (IT) management. AOC has implemented 21 of 54 recommendations and is making progress  primarily in the areas of strategic management, human capital  management, project management (discussed in detail in app. Many of the recommendations that  have not been implemented require significant organizational changes;  leadership support for these changes is vital to ensure their success as well  as the continued success of initiatives that AOC has in place. The  Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO) recognizes the importance of  communication with congressional members and staff. AOC is also in the process of hiring a Director of  Congressional and External Relations who will be responsible for  developing and maintaining positive relations with congressional members  and staff. AOC made progress in financial  accountability by issuing its initial agencywide accountability reports in  December 2004 and February 2006, in which the results of audits covering  AOC’s fiscal year 2003 and 2004 balance sheets, respectively, were  presented; requesting a full-scope audit of a complete set of its financial  statements and related note disclosures for fiscal year 2005; and beginning  development of an AOC-wide internal control framework and a cost  accounting system. In addition, AOC has established some aspects of an effective information  security program, such as issuing a policy and a plan for performing risk  assessments; issuing and implementing an IT security training policy; and  developing a plan to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of IT security  policies and controls. Recommendations in September 2005 Briefing

To improve internal controls related to project management, we  recommended that AOC:  develop a method to establish and track more accurate budget targets,  which could include tracking and reporting on the accuracy of cost  estimates compared with bids, the accuracy of project budgets  compared with final project costs, the amount of excess project funds  and how these funds are used, and cost data for the Construction  Branch;  expedite the development of a customer satisfaction survey for   clarify the roles and responsibilities of staff in the new Project   revise project management guidance manuals; and   develop or modify information systems to provide needed cost and  schedule data on projects and track reasons for changes across all  projects. Progress and Challenges in Improving Facilities Management

To evaluate AOC’s efforts to improve facilities management, we reviewed  (1) the extent to which AOC tracks facilities management performance and  (2) the initiatives AOC is implementing to improve facilities management  and the challenges that remain. Conducting facility assessments to develop a comprehensive plan for  facility maintenance and building renewal: The Facility Condition  Assessment (FCA) initiative establishes an ongoing process for  monitoring facility conditions and enables AOC to develop a  comprehensive plan for facility maintenance and building renewal.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible for the maintenance, renovation, and new construction of the Capitol Hill complex, which comprises more than three dozen facilities and consists of nine jurisdictions, such as the U.S. Capitol and the Senate and House Office Buildings. In 2003, at the request of Congress, GAO issued a management review of AOC that contained recommendations in seven areas to help AOC become more strategic and accountable. GAO reported on AOC's progress in implementing those recommendations in January and August 2004. In 2005 and 2006, GAO briefed Congress on AOC's recent progress in implementing GAO's recommendations and on issues related to AOC's project and facilities management. This report summarizes GAO's (1) assessment of AOC's progress in implementing previous GAO recommendations and in improving project and facilities management and (2) delineation of remaining management challenges.

What GAO Found

Overall, AOC is making progress in implementing GAO's previous recommendations and in improving project and facilities management. For example, AOC has implemented 21 of 54 recommendations, established a central organization for managing major projects, and completed assessments of nearly all of the agency's facilities, for use in developing a comprehensive facility maintenance and building renewal plan. AOC has also begun initiatives to develop meaningful performance measures and to restructure its project management information systems to provide better data for monitoring and reporting. These initiatives, though encouraging, are in their early stages, and it is too early to determine their success. In recent briefings provided to AOC management and congressional staff, GAO made additional recommendations to improve the accountability and effectiveness of AOC's project and facilities management initiatives. AOC has made progress in some areas, but still has a significant amount of work ahead to achieve its ultimate goal of establishing a strong strategic management and accountability framework. Specifically, it has not completed initiatives to address two critical issues--communication with external stakeholders and development of internal controls--identified in previous GAO recommendations or in independent audits of AOC's 2003 and 2004 balance sheets. These issues affect a wide range of AOC operations. For example, communication with congressional stakeholders is essential to establish and clarify service and expectation levels. Internal controls, such as reliable cost account system, sound procurement practices, and a comprehensive information security program, are necessary to, respectively, improve project and facilities management, strengthen the integrity of AOC's procurement processes, and effectively safeguard AOC's data and information access. Leadership support is vital to ensure that needed improvements are given urgent attention; this support is also essential to ensure that improvements that have already been made are continuously evaluated and refined as needed. However, the key leadership positions of Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Director of the Capitol Power Plant, Director of Congressional and External Relations, and Director of Planning and Project Management are currently vacant. Furthermore, the term for the current Architect of the Capitol will expire in less than a year. AOC is at a critical juncture in its efforts to become more strategic and accountable. Quickly filling the vacant management positions with qualified people is essential for AOC to sustain and extend its recent improvement and to have a cohesive management team in place in the event of a turnover in the Architect of the Capitol position. AOC is now attempting to fill the vacant leadership positions, and, to mitigate the impact of these vacancies, it recently appointed an Acting Chief Operating Officer--who is also temporarily serving as the Acting Chief Financial Officer--and an Acting Chief Administrative Officer to help guide the agency's improvement efforts.