The current Department of the Navy Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) processes do not adequately address Information Technology challenges that cross multiple functional areas and programs. Functional owners and resource sponsors often prioritize and resource IT requirements inconsistently across the DON, which impacts the department’s overall capabilities and hinders our ability to present a unified, DON position.
Establishing a unified DON position or understanding where the DON is accepting risk as it deviates from that position will allow us to present a common strategy. A common enterprise IT capability strategy will increase the effectiveness of the resourcing, budgeting, and execution of the DON’s IT requirements.
To achieve a unified position and focus on IT priorities, the DON Chief Information Officer has established a process to develop specific DON IT Capability Priorities for each Program Objective Memorandum cycle. This process was codified in the June 9, 2017 DON CIO memorandum, “Department of the Navy Information Technology Capability Priorities.” The objective is to influence the Services’ internal IT Capability prioritization processes towards a common set of capabilities and capability development goals. Full implementation of this process, illustrated in Figure 1, will be executed during the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 POM cycle.
The sole focus area for the FY 2019 POM cycle, using existing budget review processes, is the Services’ transition plan to the Risk Management Framework. The RMF will integrate critical security and risk management activities into the system development life cycle and will enable the DON to continually monitor and remediate cyber vulnerabilities.
The focus areas for the FY 2020 POM cycle are still being developed and will be issued in conjunction with the POM 20 Guidance to support the FY 2020 budget estimates submission. Resource Sponsors should address the DON IT Capability Priorities when developing FY 2020 Sponsor Program Proposals and Budget Submitting Offices should include them in their IT budget justification materials.
Implementation of the DON IT Capability Priorities will enable identification of Enterprise requirements and priorities and ensure coordination, standardization, and resourcing of critical capabilities.
To view the DON CIO IT Capability Priorities memo, visit the DON CIO website at: http://www.doncio.navy.mil/contentview.aspx?id=9212.
Anna Tarrant, DON CIO Financial Analyst, is a member of the DON CIO's IT Analysis & Internal Controls Team.