Enhanced transparency and improved risk management in IT  investments—OMB and covered agencies are to make detailed  information on federal IT investments publicly available, and  department-level CIOs are to categorize their major IT investments by  risk. Federal data center consolidation initiative  We have reported annually on agencies’ efforts to meet FITARA  requirements related to the federal data center consolidation initiative. In May 2014, we reported on 24 federal agencies’ management of  software licenses and the potential for achieving significant savings  government-wide. Selected Agencies Identified Practices That Facilitated Effective Implementation of FITARA Provisions

The nine selected agencies identified a total of 12 practices that helped  them to successfully implement the FITARA provisions considered in our  review. In addition, agencies identified one practice that helped ensure effective implementation of CIO one practice that helped ensure enhanced transparency and improved one practice that ensured effective portfolio review,  four practices that facilitated data center consolidation, and one practice that facilitated software purchasing. Figure 1 identifies the 12 practices that the nine agencies used to  effectively implement the selected FITARA provisions. In addition, the  narrative following the figure provides details on how these agencies  implemented the provisions and realized associated IT management  improvements or cost savings. As a result of implementing these practices, each of the agencies was  better positioned to implement FITARA. As a result of this approach to implementing the portfolio review provision  of FITARA, the agency reported in its Information Systems  Decommissioning Plan that it has decommissioned 78 old systems and  identified additional systems to decommission in future years. VA established an Enterprise Software License Management Team to  centralize the management of its efforts to purchase software. In summary, as a result of applying the practices identified in this review,  the selected agencies were better positioned to implement FITARA  provisions and realized IT management improvements and cost savings. We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional  committees, the heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce,  Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Veterans  Affairs; the General Services Administration; the National Aeronautics  and Space Administration; the U.S. Agency for International  Development; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and  other interested parties.
Why GAO Did This Study

Congress has long recognized that IT has the potential to enable federal agencies to accomplish their missions more quickly, effectively, and economically. However, fully exploiting this potential has presented challenges to covered agencies, and the federal government's management of IT has produced mixed results.
As part of its effort to reform the government-wide management of IT, in December 2014 Congress enacted FITARA. The law included specific requirements related to enhancing Chief Information Officers' (CIO) authorities, improving the risk management of IT investments, reviewing agencies' portfolio of IT investments, consolidating federal data centers, and purchasing software licenses. GAO has reported numerous times on agencies' effectiveness in implementing the provisions of the law and highlighted agencies that have had success in implementing selected provisions.
In this report, GAO identifies practices that agencies have used to effectively implement FITARA. GAO selected five provisions of FITARA to review: (1) CIO authority enhancements; (2) enhanced transparency and improved risk management; (3) portfolio review; (4) data center consolidation; and (5) software purchasing. GAO then selected nine agencies that had success in implementing at least one of the five provisions. GAO compiled practices where at least one agency was better positioned to implement a provision or realized an IT management improvement or cost savings.

What GAO Found

Nine selected agencies (the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Veterans Affairs; the Agency for International Development; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and the General Services Administration) identified 12 practices that helped them to effectively implement one or more Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act provisions (commonly referred to as FITARA). The following figure identifies the 12 practices, including the four overarching ones, considered vital to implementing all provisions.
By applying the overarching practices, covered agencies were better positioned to implement FITARA. In addition, by implementing the practices relative to the five FITARA provisions GAO selected, covered agencies realized information technology (IT) management improvements, such as decommissioning old systems and cost savings.