Core Competency Progress

Under the centralized leadership of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the FBI has undertaken a coordinated, strategic approach to Information Technology (IT). Even though the Information and Technology Branch (ITB) was only formally recognized in May 2004, the ITB has established a comprehensive framework and roadmap to meet the President’s Management Agenda, Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI Strategic and Human Capital Plans. This framework is based on the 11 Federal Core Competencies, as directed by the Clinger-Cohen Act and the Federal CIO Council.

The Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies have been endorsed to serve as a baseline to assist government agencies in complying with Section 5125(C) (3) of the Clinger-Cohen Act. To perform effectively in each competency area, an organization should possess the knowledge, skills and abilities in each competency. Below are statements that indicate how the ITB is addressing each compentency.

**Note: A list of documents referenced below and available for download may be found at the document download site.

CC1: Policy - The FBI implements it's Life Cycle Management Directive (LCMD) through a series of executive reviews controlled by five enterprise IT governance boards. These boards provide executive oversight of IT programs and projects and decide whether to proceed, revise, or terminate a program or project. An Executive Level IT Advisory Board meets monthly to address IT matters with all stakeholders. During 2004, the ITB established charters for these boards, As of April 2005 all five boards were fully operational. The five enterprise IT governance boards and the IT Advisory Boards are as follows:
- Investment Management/Project Review Board (IMPRB)
- Technical Review Board (TRB)
- Change Management Board (CMB)
- IT Policy Review Board (ITPRB)
- Enterprise Architecture Board (EAB)
- IT Advisory Board (ITAB)
Master IT Policy List – The ITB has established a Master IT Policy List. The IT Policy Review Board (ITPRB) reviews and approves/rejects all IT policies or policy modifications. The Master IT Policy List enables the ITB to monitor all IT projects during the LCMD control gate review processes and enforce all applicable IT policies. Back to Top
CC2: Strategic Planning - In December 2004, the ITB released the first version of the IT Strategic Plan (ITSP). The ITSP provides a framework and approach to how IT will support the FBI’s Strategic Plan and mission goals over the next 5 years and ensures that all IT projects are consistent with the FBI’s Strategic Plan. Back to Top
CC3: Leadership (and Human Capital Development) - The ITB has begun to train our Program and Project Managers as well as executive management personnel to become certified as Program Management Professionals (PMP). The ITB currently has two certified Government and five contractor PMPs. Approximately 25 managers have taken the PMP review course and plan to take the test. Another 20 are currently enrolled in the training program. This and other leadership training provides best practices and techniques to provide better management of the IT projects and the enterprise IT portfolio. Back to Top

CC4: Process Improvement - The Life Cycle Management Directive (LCMD), Version 3.0 approved in August 2005, governs how IT projects are managed from “cradle to grave,” and is consistent with industry and other government agency best practices. The LCMD satisfies the requirements of the Clinger-Cohen Act, OMB Circular A-130, and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The LCMD provides IT projects with the flexibility to select one of four system development life cycle models (Waterfall, Incremental, Spiral, and Rapid Response). All FBI IT Projects and Programs must pass through rigorous project and executive level control “gate” reviews for each Life Cycle stage. As shown in the following figure, there are seven gates, nine phases, and 14 key supporting processes in the LCMD. These reviews are the mechanism for management control and direction, decision-making, coordination, and confirmation of successful performance. The fourteen Key Supporting Processes are:

Configuration Management	Project Planning, Monitoring and Control
Enterprise Architecture	Process and Product Quality Assurance
Financial Management	Records Management
IT Investment & Portfolio Management	Requirements Management
Logistics Management	Risk Management
Measures & Metrics Analysis	Security Management
Process Management	Strategic Planning

The FBI Director has mandated FBI compliance with the LCMD; the Enterprise IT Governance Boards are responsible for ensuring project compliance with the LCMD. By issuing guidance and templates, the LCMD provides the “road map” for program and project managers to follow to ensure a successful project. The ITB is working with the FBI’s Training & Development Division to prepare and deliver LCMD awareness training to all IT project managers and key IT staff. Back to Top

CC5: Capital Planning and Investment Management/Project Assurance - The Investment Management/Project Review Board reviews and approves new IT investments at specified stages of each IT project’s life cycle. When the ITB was established in May 2004, project data was available on only 35 of the FBI’s IT projects. Some of these “projects” were actually steady-state maintenance efforts. Since then, through a number of meetings with FBI executives across the FBI and data calls for information, the ITB has identified 170 projects of which 91 are bona fide Development, Modernization and Enhancement (DM&E) projects. These projects are now under evaluation for overall health and placement within the system development life cycle. This will enable FBI executives to uncover and address cost, schedule and performance risks. Back to Top
CC6: Performance and Results-Based Management (IT Metrics) - The ITB established an IT Metrics program that identifies and measures IT performance according to industry standards, government regulations, and Earned Value Management System (EVMS) principles. This Metrics program is based on the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework used within Industry and the Federal Government. The FBI IT BSC consists of the top six metrics in four main areas: Financial, Customer, Learning & Growth and Internal.

In December 2004 an effort began to establish an EVMS for all "major" IT projects. When a program or project metric varies by more than 10% of the acceptable thresholds for cost, schedule and technical performance, it will trigger closer scrutiny and/or remedial action by the IMPRB.
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CC7: Technology Assessment - The FBI Chief Technology Officer is working closely with the Enterprise Architecture team to standardize enterprise technology standards, technical reference models, technical architectures, and technical design reviews under the LCMD and system testing/integration. The new unified testing and integration facility will allow for centralized technology assessment and provide responsive IT solutions to meet mission needs. These measures mitigate project risks through common, interoperable, supportable, and affordable solutions. Back to Top
CC8: Enterprise Architecture - The ITB has made significant progress towards defining an enterprise architecture for the FBI that is consistent with the DOJ Enterprise Architecture and OMB’s Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA). Notable EA accomplishments during 2004 include the following:
- Established the baseline Enterprise Architecture (EA) and are developing the FBI’s target EA in 2005 to be consistent with and linked to the Strategic IT Plan.
- Identified all of the IT systems, applications, networks, and databases in the FBI in an IT Master Systems List. All IT projects in the future will be required to be consistent with the FBI’s EA.
- Defined Mission Critical Systems criteria and identified the specific FBI systems that meet the Mission Critical System criteria.
- Developed EA plans, processes, and the requirements repository, the IT Product/Standards List was also delivered.
- Approved the EA Principles in December 2004 and are under configuration management.
- Selected the Popkin System Architecture Tool, which is being used as the EA repository for the FBI.
- Worked with the Office of Intelligence (OI) to develop an Integrated IT Requirements Document for the OI for the Immediate-term (6 months) and Near-Term (12 months).
  This represents the first major example of an IT requirements document being created under the new ITB LCM process.
- Completed ITB v1.0 of the IT COOP Plan.
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CC9: Security and Information Assurance - Managed under the LCMD, the FBI has implemented an Information Assurance Program (IAP). The IAP is implementing key IT capabilities, such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and the Enterprise Security Operations Center (ESOC), to strengthen IT services in the Bureau and mitigate internal and external threats. Additionally, Security and Information Assurance has been fully integrated into the LCMD and the EA. Certification and Accreditation is now required for all IT Projects and Systems. These measures meet FISMA and other mandates to mitigate project risk. Back to Top
CC10: Acquisition Support & Reform - IT Acquisition Reform, a joint initiative between the CIO and CFO of the FBI, is standardizing and automating all procurement actions involving IT acquisitions. Improvements focus on increased competition and small business involvement. Results of this effort were:
- Fiscal Year 2004 IT Acquisition Form - The FBI ITB implemented an “FY 2004 IT Acquisition Form” to centrally track all IT acquisitions, ensure senior management coordination, and initiate consolidation of all major requirements.
- Oracle FBI 4-Division IT License with DOJ - The ITB coordinated the DOJ/FBI Oracle license contract to consolidate 4 FBI program requirements along with other DOJ requirements, and negotiated a $1 Million cost savings discount.
- Microsoft Enterprise IT License with DOJ - The ITB coordinated the first-ever DOJ/FBI Microsoft 4-Year Enterprise License to realize cost savings of $1 Million per year and deliver comprehensive features for the enterprise. The license covers FBI’s approximately 38,000 employees, on-site contractors, and Task Force members.
- Consolidated RetrievalWare Enterprise IT License - The ITB coordinated a $4.7 Million reduction of an enterprise license for RetrievalWare, estimated originally at $7M. Final cost was $2.3 Million.
- Informatica Products FBI Enterprise License - Completed negotiations for 4-year, all FBI users and applications license, which resulted in $.5 Million cost savings per year, with additional product availability across the enterprise.
- Reduced Word Perfect Licenses - Withdrew from the DOJ Enterprise License to defer procurement of 28,000 Word Perfect licenses ($1.9M) and focused on an MS Word application. Estimate a 50% reduction in the number of Word Perfect licenses.
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CC11: E-Government - Events of 9/11 and subsequent Presidential Directives prioritized and expanded the FBI’s law enforcement mission to include enhancing national intelligence capabilities. The FBI recognizes the importance of the E-Government Act in meeting its dual law enforcement and intelligence missions and has successfully improved its capabilities through E-Government initiatives. Listed below are some the FBI’s initiatives in compliance with the E-Government Act.
- Investigative Data Warehouse (IDW) - IDW offers Agents and analysts alike the technology to perform link analysis, while also providing enhanced search and analytical tools.
- FBI Intelligence Information Reports Dissemination System (FIDS) - FIDS is a new application that was developed by the ITB working collaboratively with the Office of Intelligence. The FIDS delivers a standard, simplified IIR work flow process for all FBI field and headquarters divisions. The easy-to-use, web-based workflow is the first XML-based intelligence capability within the Federal Government.
- Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information Operational Network (SCION) - SCION gives the FBI the ability to electronically receive, disseminate and share compartmented sources of intelligence information among the counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations at the FBI and with the Intelligence Community.
- Law Enforcement Online (LEO) - LEO provides a communications mechanism to link all levels of law enforcement, criminal justice, and public safety communities on a global scale supporting broad, immediate dissemination of information about the best technologies and practices in these areas.
- Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) - Now, for the first time, the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is able to accept electronic fingerprint submissions from military troops deployed internationally via a new Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).