Methodology

Methodology

The National Performance Review's (NPR) Information Technology (IT) Team
consisted of information technology professionals, budget, and logistics
personnel from the public and private sectors. The team undertook
quality functional deployment (QFD) to define the project and provide a
framework for its decisionmaking and ongoing activities. A QFD is a
structured total quality management exercise used by planning groups to
clarify issues and problems to be addressed and identify strategies to
obtain optimal results while achieving objectives within predetermined
time frames. The principles developed for guiding the IT Team in the
creation of its recommendations were a product of QFD.

The team identified the following issues as priorities to be addressed
in order for information technology to support the delivery of
government services adequately.

---The information technologies currently employed by the federal
government are not delivering what the customer needs, nor is its
potential being fully utilized.

---The federal government does not adequately coordinate the systems now
in place.

---There is insufficient understanding of who the customers for
information technology are and what their needs are.

---Too many barriers exist within the government, both regulatory and
legislative, to use information technology effectively.

---All levels of the government workforce need continuous education in
information technology.

All of the team's decisions, which are presented as recommendations,
were made within the framework of solving the above- listed issues.
Having developed its framework, the IT Team then proceeded to review
federal agency planning documents, studies, reports, issue papers, and
the current literature on innovative approaches being piloted or planned
in the government and private sectors. The team also held a series of
meetings with government and private industry representatives to discuss
the latest developments in new technology.  Team members also reviewed
the federal regulatory framework for information technology acquisition.
All IT Team recommendations were coordinated with those of the other NPR
agency and cross-cutting teams.