DHS CIO taking on IT governance

The Homeland Security Department's information technology budget request for fiscal 2011 is $6.4 billion, the highest among civilian agencies. And Richard Spires, the DHS chief information officer, is concerned that the agency doesn't have the processes, skills and people in place to successfully manage all of it.

"What bothers me most we have very little institutionalization of process disciplines, standards and tools to run programs," says Spires today during a speech in Washington sponsored by IAC. "We have pockets of excellence, but we also some very troubled programs." Spires is reviewing all 79 major IT investments at the agency. He says the review is about half way done and, so far, no program has been deemed "fatally flawed."