USDA analyzes IT projects with earned-value methodology

Through a pilot, USDA officials are using the Earned Value Management criteria to better manage their IT portfolio, says Marilyn Holland, left, Agriculture's chief of the CIO office's Program Planning and Management division.

Nader encourages feds to serve citizens better

The federal government's move to become more businesslike is missing its mark, advocate Ralph Nader tells federal IT officials.

Collins asks AMS for thrift contract records

A senator is asking the original contractor on the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board record-keeping system, American Management Systems Inc., for all of its records relating to the project.

Feds define project manager

The Office of Personnel Management this week defined the functions of project managers and gave federal agencies guidance on how to classify them.

Collins probes contracting practices

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, is questioning the contracting practices that led the Federal Thrift Retirement Investment Board to spend $36 million on a new record-keeping system from American Management Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va., and receive nothing in return.

Thrift board fixes record-keeping system's Web front end

By synchronizing the settings of the mainframe host and telecommunications equipment of its new record-keeping system, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board IT team today said it had resolved a major kink in Web services for the Thrift Savings Plan.

GSA closes FTS office after audit finds misused IT Fund

The General Services Administration closed down its Federal Technology Service field office in Bremerton, Wash., after the agency's inspector general found the office's staff misused the IT Fund to buy construction, architecture and engineering services.

Online Extra: Forman's way with words

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Online Extra: Forman's calculated approach, a timeline

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Online Extra: Questions for Forman

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Online Extra: New team stays the course

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Online Extra on Mark Forman's departure: Filling his shoes

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Two e-gov portfolio managers to leave OMB

OMB's e-government office is losing two portfolio managers.

Forman's legacy: better IT management

Reaction in the federal IT community to the resignation of Mark Forman is not of surprise, but of understanding and consideration.

Mark Forman will leave OMB for private sector

Mark Forman, administrator of e-government and IT, will be leaving his Office of Management and Budget post next week for an industry job.

Report: USPS should drop e-commerce

Commission says private sector ahead in e-commerce services; suggests Postal Service consider outsourcing IT management, other tasks.

OMB abandons governmentwide A-76 goals

Succumbing to congressional pressure, the Office of Management and Budget has dropped governmentwide goals for having federal employees compete with the private sector for work.

OPM won't reopen Recruitment One-Stop buy

The Office of Personnel Management will continue to work with Monster Government Solutions to revamp its USAJOBS Web site.

DHS hires SAIC for architecture work

Science Applications International Corp. is leading a team that will help Homeland Security Department officials define the data, application and technical layers of their enterprise architecture.

Council hires former EDS exec to run management programs

The Council for Excellence in Government has tapped Judith Douglas to oversee leadership and performance initiatives.