DHS Information Technology Services Office Program Support

Challenge

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) is responsible for a wide-range of information technology (IT) services and large scale integration efforts and provides enterprise level operational support to DHS headquarters staff. ITSO is responsible for the departmental consolidation of data center and information operations. ITSO is under pressure to produce results with extremely limited resources and needed support to provide efficient and effective management of its operations.

Solution

As a subcontractor to Burke Consulting, DRC is providing executive support and assessment services for ITSO projects. As part of this effort, DRC provides support for the independent review and oversight of programs and major projects, business process re-engineering advisory services to ITSO executives, and functional and technical assessments (Architecture Assessment) support to the Enterprise Architecture (EA) Program Management Office.

DRC began by providing a comprehensive review of the project management processes. We use Lean Six Sigma techniques to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects, errors, and variation. We collaborate with project staff to establish and implement a framework of methods, processes, procedures, and checklists for execution. Our methodology integrates the principles of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, including the intersection of policy, politics, and performance (the 3 P's), the IT Governance Institute’s Control Objectives for IT (COBIT), and the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Benefits/Achievements

Our technical approach incorporates two decades of lessons learned and best practices from program management work with other organizations that have similar missions and faced comparable challenges. Our approach enables ITSO to continuously meet both its strategic and tactical needs. Leveraging methods from other successful program management engagements, we integrate people, processes, and technology to design, implement, measure, and evolve effective project management processes. This enables ITSO's complex array of projects to meet milestones within established budget and schedule.

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