United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Accounting and Information Management Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-03-21 monographic deposited born digital 148 p. GA 1.13:AIMD-97-47 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47 P0b002ee18037fe79 f:ai97047 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47 AIMD-97-47 ADP procurement Computer software Air traffic control systems Strategic information systems planning Computer software verification and validation Requirements definition Software Capability Maturity Model FAA Automated Radar Terminal System FAA Display System Replacement FAA Voice Switching and Control System FAA National Airspace System FAA Air Traffic Control Modernization Program FAA Advanced Automation System FAA Integrated Terminal Weather System FAA Air Route Surveillance Radar-4 FAA Initial Sector Suite System FAA Aviation Weather Observing System NAVSTAR Global Positioning System FAA Weather and Radar Processor Chapter Report AIMD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air traffic control (ATC) modernization software acquisition efforts, focusing on the: (1) maturity of FAA's ATC modernization software acquisition processes; and (2) steps/actions FAA has underway or planned to improve these processes, including any obstacles that may impede FAA's progress.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) because of the number and severity of FAA ATC modernization software acquisition process weaknesses, FAA did not fully satisfy any of the seven key process areas (KPA) necessary to achieve the "repeatable" level of process maturity; (2) as a result, its processes for acquiring software, the most costly and complex component of ATC systems, are ad hoc, sometime chaotic, and not repeatable across projects; (3) in addition, serious process weaknesses prevented FAA from satisfying the one KPA specified under the Software Engineering Institute's "defined" maturity level; (4) while FAA showed process strengths, primarily in the solicitation and evaluation KPAs, GAO found extensive weaknesses in these and the remaining six KPAs; (5) some of these weaknesses were systemic, recurring in each of the KPAs; (6) for example, no software project teams measured or reported to management on the status of activities performed, and management never verified that critical activities were being done; (7) these types of problems are some of the reasons for FAA's frequent failures to deliver promised ATC system capabilities on time and within budget; (8) FAA has stated its commitment to increasing ATC modernization process maturity; (9) however, despite 4 years of activity in this area, FAA lacks an effective management approach for improving software acquisition processes; (10) currently, the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) is responsible for process improvement, but the SEPG has neither organizational nor budgetary authority over the product teams that acquire software, and, therefore, cannot effectively implement or enforce process change; (11) instead, it can only recommend and encourage change; (12) additionally, FAA does not have an effective plan to correctly target and prioritize improvements and measure improvement progress; (13) in the absence of this plan, it has initiated a "hodge podge" of software acquisition improvement efforts without any analytical justification; and (14) as a result, FAA's process improvement activities have yet to produce more repeatable, better defined, more disciplined software acquisition processes. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47/html/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47/pdf/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47.pdf GAO/AIMD-97-47 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-AIMD-97-47 Chapter Report GAO/AIMD-97-47; Air Traffic Control: Immature Software Acquisition Processes Increase FAA System Acquisition Risks; ADP procurement Computer software Air traffic control systems Strategic information systems planning Computer software verification and validation Requirements definition Software Capability Maturity Model FAA Automated Radar Terminal System FAA Display System Replacement FAA Voice Switching and Control System FAA National Airspace System FAA Air Traffic Control Modernization Program FAA Advanced Automation System FAA Integrated Terminal Weather System FAA Air Route Surveillance Radar-4 FAA Initial Sector Suite System FAA Aviation Weather Observing System NAVSTAR Global Positioning System FAA Weather and Radar Processor Volume 109 Page 436 109 Stat. 436 Public Law 104-50