| Challenge: | To justify IT investment at the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information & Technology Operations (ITO) and build a strong case for FY 07 funding via the OMB Exhibit 300. |
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| Solution: | CherryRoad Technologies assisted ITO through the federal budget cycle, working closely with both budget specialists and program managers, while providing sophisticated financial management tools to facilitate entry into the OMB 300 software. |
| Benefits: | VA’s ITO has improved and expedited the processes by which OMB 300s are developed, maintained, and created, while providing a tracking mechanism for budget justifications. |
The primary mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to honor, compensate and care for veterans. To accomplish these objectives, the VA’s Office of Information & Technology Operations (ITO) must provide the VA staff with immediate and reliable access to video, voice and data communications networks to best serve veteran customers throughout the world. With a budget of more than $650 million in FY 07, the challenges and complexities are great.
The strategic goals of the President’s Management Agenda include improving financial performance, ensuring homeland security, and expanding e-government. To support these objectives, ITO must justify current funding for all IT investment by complying with financial management requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Exhibit 300, Capital Asset Plan & Business Case. Exhibit 300 allows government agencies to demonstrate effective project management, form a strong business case for new investment, and appropriately define cost, schedule and performance goals using proven measurement tools.
The VA chose ProSight portfolio management software, known as CAMS (Capital Asset Management System) for submission of OMB 300s. In order to facilitate analysis of financial data and entry into CAMS, the CherryRoad team developed sophisticated Excel templates that mirrored sections of the 300, including Summary of Spending for Project Investment, Alternatives Analysis, and Earned Value Management calculation and analysis.
Financial data is entered into the templates allowing the end user to track and automatically summarize each IT or telecommunications program’s progress over its life cycle. Project managers then directly input these results in to the CAMS system to record OMB 300 budget submissions for preliminary review by the VA Office of Policy & Planning. Lastly, the Network Management and Telecommunications 300s support and are primary input to the overall VA infrastructure 300 on its final submission to OMB in mid-September.
Using this template tool, the entering of financial data becomes simplified and less error prone. It allows for more effective data tracking and modification. The input, correction and updating of financial data is facilitated, saving time while operating under the principal, “Let the system do the rest.”
Three weeks before an internal review, the VA’s Office of Policy & Planning determined that IT investment for all programs must reflect a change from steady state (the ongoing program) to mixed life-cycle (combining steady state with new IT investment), thus necessitating complex revisions of financial data and CAMS.
The CherryRoad team of analysts responded immediately by consolidating quantitative data from multiple sources and worked closely with program managers to ensure that mixed lifecycle and associated budget modifications were reflected in the OMB 300s. In some cases, a one-to-one relationship existed between a program, its PM and an OMB 300. In others, there was no PM for the program, and CherryRoad successfully assumed the role as the project management analysts for the program. This was the case for the Network Management Program.
Throughout the contract period, the CherryRoad team remained committed to the client in their objective to create replicable financial processes to be used, not only in the current, but also in future budget cycles.
ICherryRoad can provide your agency with seasoned financial analysts who will help you meet your objective of justifying future IT investment by streamlining and simplifying financial processes and entry into the OMB 300.
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