U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program Smart Choices Overview for Business Cases February 28, 2002

U.S. Department of Agriculture

eGovernment Program

Smart Choices Overview for Business Cases

February 28, 2002

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U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program

Why eGovernment?

President’s Management Agenda makes “Expanding Electronic Government” one of five major initiatives for reforming government The President’s Management Council is requesting that all Departments develop a

strategy for moving towards electronic government; OMB has developed a scorecard to track each Department’s progress

Departmental strategy must prioritize opportunities for leveraged funding decisions In this context: single agency initiatives are obsolete. Blended and collaborative ventures

are the present and future. Citizen-centered government - Internet banking, online shopping and travel arrangements,

and electronic bill pay are available to consumers in the private sector and they are expecting the same level of service as citizens and taxpayers from their government Must enable the public to easily transact with and receive quality service from USDA, no

matter which channel (e.g., online, in person, over phone) is chosen Link to government-wide Quicksilver efforts

Internal Pressures and Demands - Duplication of many support and common core functions in each agency increases the need for consolidation and Departmental integration, i.e. human resources, procurement, and content and knowledge management Efficiency and productivity gains similar to private sector Reduce costs and improve resources utilization Unify USDA while at the same time simplifying for customers and partners

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eGovernment Opportunity Identification and Prioritization Process

Agenda

USDA’s eGovernment Smart Choices

Overview of USDA’s Stakeholders

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Internet usage/access is rising, especially for historically low-access for groups such as low-income and rural Americans.

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Agenda



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eGovernment Opportunity Identification

WorkingGroup

Visioning Sessions

Industry and Government

BestPractice

“Long List”of

Opportunities

Under Secretary

and Executive Interviews

Mission Area Visioning Sessions

Readiness Assessment1

More than 60 proposed

opportunity areas, suggestions and

ideas

“Short List”

26 Consolidated Opportunities for

USDA eGovernment Strategic Plan

Evaluation CriteriaStrategic• Improves fulfillment of USDA Mission and

satisfies at least 1 USDA strategic goal and objective

• Fulfills eGovernment Mission and satisfies at least 1 eGovernment goal and/or objective

• Addresses legislative priorities, GAO material weaknesses, OMB guidelines, and/or IG findings

• Expands reach and participation of USDA programs (i.e. numbers of beneficiaries)

• Mitigates redundancy, duplicative processes

Implementation• Responds to an immediate Dept. need (Urgency)• Can be implemented easily/low level of

complexity• Leverages core business capabilities and/or

Dept./agencies have experience with similar effort

• Links to current/planned eGovernment initiatives• Level of executive support and leadership

priorities • Transfer solution from other government or

private sector

Financial• Lowers costs across Department• Revenue generation potential • Leverages existing funding stream, budget

priorities• Mitigates waste, fraud and abuse

1 Focus groups, employee survey and CIO interviews

2 Based on eGovernment Readiness Assessment of current capabilities

Similar themes and ideas combined

Did not affect more than one agency

Out of the scope or beyond the range of feasibility for a 5 year time frame

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“Short List”- eGovernment Opportunities

“Shorter List”- Smart ChoiceCandidates Weighted “short

list” based on ease of implementation and executive level support

26 eGovernment Opportunities for

Strategic Plan

Reprioritization based on new

information and weighting

Portfolio Approach

Balance of Strategic and Enabling

Balance of Goals and Objectives met

Balance of Level (1)

Top 10 “Strategic” Candidates

Top 10 “Enabler” Candidates

Working Group

Rankings Urgency Ranking

Importance Ranking

eGovernment Opportunity Prioritization

Ranking Considerations

Strategic Enabling

StartSmall

Think Big

Executive Council deliberations yielded 12

Smart Choice Candidates

(1) Interdepartmental, Enterprise-wide, Cross Mission Area/ Cross Agency

Agency program and administrative managers agencies:

Rankings Yielded

6 “Strategic” Candidates

6 “Enabler” Candidates

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Smart Choice Candidates

Strategic Enabling

SmartChoices

Smart Choices must achieve tangible and measurable results within an 18 month timeframe

Some Smart Choices will be complete in 18 month timeframe

Some Smart Choices will be the initial steps of a longer term vision

Mix of Strategic and Enabling opportunities

Addresses all three eGovernment strategic goals

Fulfillment at all levels- Interdepartmental, Enterprise-wide and Cross-Mission Area/Cross Agency

Opportunity Areas

Short

Term

Long

Term

The Executive Council determined the final Smart Choice candidates based on the following criteria:

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Final Smart Choice Candidates

The following are the final smart choice candidates recommended by the Executive Council:

Strategic Opportunities

eLoans

Online Export Assistance and Marketing

Web-based Supply Chain Management

eGrants

eProcurement

Food Safety/Security Tools

Enabling Opportunities

User Authentication and Electronic Signatures

USDA Web Presence (includes Portal strategy)

Document/records/correspondence management/workflow tools

eLearning

Content/Knowledge management

Data Management

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Agenda



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Strategic Smart Choice Candidates


Strategic Opportunities

eLoans

Online Export Assistance and Marketing

Web-based Supply Chain Management

eGrants

eProcurement

Food Safety/Security Tools

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USDA Strategic Opportunities vs. Quicksilver Initiatives

USDA Strategic Opportunities Related Quicksilver Initiatives

Online Export Assistance and Marketing International Trade Process Streamlining

Department-wide eProcurement Integrated Acquisition Systems

Online Management of eLoans Online Access for Loans

Web-Based Supply Chain Management

eGrants eGrants

Food Safety and Security Tools

Human Resources Online Enterprise HR Integration

ePermits/Certificates One Stop Business Compliance, Recreation One-Stop

Financial Management Tools

eEligibility Eligibility Assistance Online

Nutrition/Dietary Guidelines/Food Assistance Programs USA Service (Customer Relationship Management)

eRulemaking Online Rulemaking Management

eMaps with GIS Knowledge Geospatial Information One-Stop

Physical Asset Management Federal Asset Sales

Survey Capability

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eLoans (Strategic)

Description: Provide opportunities for citizens and businesses, including farmers, producers, and rural entrepreneurs, to apply for, obtain and manage USDA loans (direct and potentially guaranteed) via the Internet. This initiative should include online customer access to accounts, credit approval and income verification, bill presentment, automatic disbursement to bank accounts and loan documentation routing to appropriate local representatives. eLoan services should be provided through a common customer interface to simplify customer access to multiple agency services. The initiative requires full integration with the government-wide effort under Quicksilver.

Value Proposition: This initiative will empower farmers/producers, rural businessmen, lenders, and rural homeowners to proactively manage their accounts in a manner convenient to their own schedules and preferences. As a major provider of federal loans, USDA will significantly benefit from electronic loan processing and management. A consolidated approach will reduce delays in processing and receiving financial payments, provide a more efficient, streamlined loan process, and reduce the time customers and employees spend seeking and providing personal updates, completing forms, and performing administrative tasks. This initiative could also improve the internal processes of handling loans; shorten decision time and remove human error. Finally, online management of customer loans will enable 24/7 service by the USDA.

Short and Long Term Vision

Start Small Think Big

Complete and submit loan applications online

Automatically notify applicants of loan application status

Make customer account updates available online

Online bill presentment and loan statements

Provide contact information of guarantee providers

Provide risk management education and resources

Integrate with industry and partners for guaranteed loans and risk-management tools

Real-time integration with customer data to determine qualification, assess preliminary approvals/denials and provide counseling

Proactive management of high-risk accounts and defaults

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Agencies Impacted

RBS, RUS, RHS, FSA

As-Is State

• eLoans is a Quicksilver initiative being lead by the Dept of Education. FSA and RD agencies are partnering agencies; FSA is actively participating and RD is expected to participate.

• Currently, there are 9 systems described in ITIPS that relate to eLOANS: DLOS; AgCredit; DLARS; PLAS; PLAS #016; NGLS; RULSS; FARM LOAN #11

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $8.1M

FY’03: $14.9 M

To-Be EnvironmentIntegrated with customer-centric presentation of services under Quicksilver. FSA and RD will develop a business case for leveraging existing resources and identifying quick hits over the next 24 months. USDA’s plan will build upon the Quicksilver business case and existing strengths with eLINC and the Loan Toolkit and other USDA initiatives. It will also look at opportunities for common loan interfaces for USDA customers and business partners, the potential retirement of costly legacy systems where appropriate, and funding options.

eLoans (Strategic)

Note: Current funding estimates for FY '02 and FY '03 are not completely exhaustive; they do not fully capture all of the agency funds that may be allocated to potential smart choice candidates. Most figures are derived from IT Capital Planning and investment control systems and processes which may or may not have actually been funded nor do they represent the complete picture of agency funding. The Department's IT Capital Planning currently only requires a submission for efforts involving two or more agencies, over $5 million, a Secretarial priority or legislatively mandated. Many agencies fund from an estimated base or with year end funds. Moving forward, with the 2004 Fiscal Year, our Departmental and Agency IT Capital Planning and investment control figures for eGovernment in particular and IT in general will be more accurate and reliable to drive performance measurement.

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Online Export Assistance and Marketing (Strategic)Description: Establish a virtual export center for USDA customers, regulated industries, and partners to learn about exporting agriculture commodities, including accessing permits and requirements for exporting, and gaining market information about potential selling opportunities. The online export environment would focus on expanding marketing opportunities for small agriculture producers, reduce information gaps and search time, and create an opportunity for collaboration within the industry. This initiative would allow small farmers to aggregate supply to fulfill international demand, access a central location for agriculture trade promotion, and use an export assistance toolkit that would provide step-by-step guidance and assistance for exporting agriculture products. This initiative will integrate with the International Trade and Streamlining effort under Quicksilver.

Value Proposition: This initiative will help achieve USDA’s goals to increase U.S. agriculture market share from 18% to 22% internationally. It will empower small, medium and disadvantaged farmers with education and toolkits to expand their reach. It would also provide a central resource for the meat and poultry industry and other USDA regulated industries to expedite their international trading processes, further encouraging exports.



• Define customer requirements through focus groups and define “pain points” for exporting and marketing products

• Integrate with existing Government efforts offering export assistance (within USDA and Quicksilver)

• Create user-supported knowledge base of best practices and lessons learned during export process

• Develop online “wizards” that guide citizens and/or partners through the export process; from online wizards, users have access to all relevant forms, contact information, and assistance

• Integrate with new CRM capabilities to provide real-time assistance, both live and via online chat

• Integrate with citizen and public/private partner databases to enable collaboration

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Agencies Impacted

FAS, FSIS, APHIS, World Board, AMS, GIPSA

As-Is State

• This initiative relates to the Quicksilver initiative -International Trade Process Streamlining, managed by the Dept of Commerce.

• Export.gov is a government-wide portal for small and medium sized businesses to access all export-related information. The Quicksilver initiative is expected to expand the functionality and scope of this site, as well as connect with other related sites such as “BuyAmerica.gov” and the International Trade Data System. BuyAmerica is a push to use the Internet to enhance market-making opportunities for domestic exporters and the ITD is a collaboration between 18 agencies for a comprehensive set of international trade data.

• The World Board is seeking to develop a commodity portal; and FSIS is developing a system to issue exporting certificates online.

• There are 7 systems in ITIPS that are revolve around this initiative: US Trade Export Sales; PSD; Remote Sensing Imaging; Ag Export Services; Trade Issues database; UN Trade; UES

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $8.1M

FY’03: $14.9 M

To-Be EnvironmentIntegrated with customer-centric presentation of services under Quicksilver. Moreover, agencies will formally link the interfaces of Commerce’s Export.gov and buyamerica.com to USDA sites and vice-versa. Team will work upfront with Trade Association customers building on our initial focus group to develop integrated information sources and consistent, user-friendly presence.

Online Export Assistance and Marketing (Strategic)


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Web-based Supply Chain Management (Strategic)

Description: This initiative will leverage supply chain management technologies to enable USDA agencies (i.e., FAS, FSA, AMS, FNS) and their partners (primarily USAID, US school districts, domestic producers, State agencies and industry), to manage commodity purchasing and food distribution seamlessly for USDA programs. Isolated USDA initiatives will be consolidated and supported by flexible new technologies that provide real-time inventory management, food tracking and estimated delivery cycles, order fulfillment, and financial management and allocation.

Value Proposition: USDA’s commodity operations exceed $40 billion every year. Migrating to an electronic supply chain capability for USDA’s commodity programs will dramatically reduce cost for USDA agencies and their partners and improve service delivery and management of one of the USDA’s largest functions. In addition supply chain improvements will eliminate duplicative processes, improve service to customers and partners, and streamline administrative functions. Additionally, this initiative will support U.S. National Defense and Security interests by enhancing USDA’s ability to effectively provide international food assistance.

Short and Long term Vision


• Define larger set of requirements for the Department to build on FATES solution

• Construct model (on paper) that includes real performance data from system and manual processes to understand potential benefits all participating partners and agencies

• Limited-use pilot program

• Integrate with specialized portals for buyers and sellers

• Develop just-in-time (JIT) inventory tracking and purchasing capabilities across the supply chain

• Develop advanced data mining and reporting capabilities in central data repositories

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Agencies Impacted

AMS, FAS, FSA, FNS, USAID, MARED

As-Is State

• This initiative is a cross-mission area and interdepartmental initiative to consolidate 2 legacy systems including PCIMS(FNS) and the FOOD AID Info System (FAS) into a web-based platform and expand capabilities for other small agency based systems.

• Food Distribution 2000 is an ongoing effort to modernize commodity purchasing, and currently, decisions have been made using a tri-agency council in which AMS, FAS, and FSA each rotate leadership. However, FAS and USAID have not been a part of previous efforts.

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $0 M

FY’03: $.250 M

To-Be EnvironmentCommon set of supply chain management tools to support USDA service delivery. Staff from representative agencies will develop a business case to outline the Start Small and Think Big action steps. They will begin leveraging previous unsuccessful efforts, such as FATES which received no funding, and will include FAS and USAID, who were previously not involved. 2 staff – 1 technical, 1 business – from each representative agency will explore a common ordering option/interface for domestic and international commodity purchases. Quick hits and opportunities for alternative financing will also be reviewed.

Web-based Supply Chain Management (Strategic)


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eGrants (Strategic)

Description: This initiative will include a central source for all organizations/agencies that receive USDA grant assistance, including rural businesses, State/local governments, and universities, to access, apply for and manage awards for all USDA grants. Seamless integration with back-end capabilities will allow USDA agencies to manage the grant lifecycle online from customer applications through USDA financial disbursements. This initiative will be developed in conjunction with the eGrants Quicksilver initiative, to provide seamless access to all Federal grants.

Value Proposition: eGrants will provide public and private organizations faster, flexible and more direct means to navigate and manage the USDA’s grant process. Similar to online loan management, eGrants will enable better two-way communication between USDA agencies and grant recipients and more efficient financial allocations and performance reporting. eGrants will also enable better management of grants internally.

Short and Long-term Vision


• Partnership and participation in interdepartmental grant effort (Quicksilver)

• Deploy a comprehensive list and search engine for all USDA grants (in conjunction with the Web Presence initiative)

• Deploy online tools to support eligibility determinations, applications, and provide procedures for obtaining grants

• Web-based grants management workflow system that web-enables entire grant life cycles

• Grant-writing collaboration capability and integrate with web-based grants management system

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Agencies Impacted

CSREES, FS, FAS, CFO

As-Is State

• eGrants is a Quicksilver initiative that is being led by the Department of Health and Human Services and will build off of FedCommons, which is a government-wide portal for grant allocations.

• CRSEES has heavily participated in the Quicksilver initiative and will lead this effort for USDA.


FY’03: $0 M

To-Be EnvironmentIntegrated with customer-centric presentation of services under Quicksilver. Staff from representative agencies will develop a business case in line with direction Quicksilver is going and linking to FedCommons. The solution set will include elements of workflow management which have been most successful to date in other agencies; whereas very complex systems have struggled in this regard. Effort will include exploring a common presence for customers seeking information on USDA grants from the three representative agencies.

eGrants (Strategic)


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Food Safety and Security Tools (Strategic)

Description: Develop interdepartmental capabilities for collaboration, real-time data collection, and tracking and retrieval of port and plant specific data regarding food and animals. All Government parties with responsibility for food safety will have real-time access to entering and tracking data for decision-making purposes and for investigations into causes of foodborne illness which can be coordinated across USDA agencies as well as other Federal and state agencies.

Value Proposition: Homeland security heightens the expectations that the USDA can effectively respond to emergencies, quickly communicate outbreaks and thoroughly prevent threats of bio-terrorism. By ensuring the safety of the US food supply and improving USDA’s execution of its mission, this initiative will be critical to protecting the health of all Americans.


• Active collaboration on existing efforts in other government Departments (FDA, EPA, Customs)

• Integrate with the Wireless initiative under Quicksilver to improve instant communications capability

• Define and acquire hardware and software tools for field staff

Smart ID tags that link to a central data repository to assist in tracking food from initial processing to distribution

Develop a harmonized coding system for identification of products.

Handheld computers to field workers for data input and data access at time of need

Integration with industry and government shipping and tracking data to provide field workers richer data to act on

Advanced data mining and reporting capabilities on central data repositories


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Agencies Impacted

FSIS, ARS, APHIS, AMS, CSREES

As-Is State

• Several food safety and security tools and information sources are being used throughout FSIS and APHIS

• Most difficult challenges exist in working with EPA, FDA and Customs

• Little coordination exists and the infrastructure is very poor in field locations.

• There are 6 systems in ITIPS that are related to food safety: FACTS (FSIS); Field Automation Information Mgmt (FSIS); Port Info Network Operations (APHIS); Info Mgt Systems (APHIS); Food Safety Laboratories (APHIS); Int'l Trade Data System (APHIS, FAS, FSIS); Pest Interception/ Identification (APHIS)


FY’03: $26.4 M

To-Be EnvironmentCapability to rapidly collect and disseminate data in response to crisis situations. Staff from representative agencies will work with non-USDA Departments to develop business case for providing additional tools and pooling data and resources for rapid response to domestic food safety incidents including homeland bioterrorist threats.

Food Safety and Security Tools (Strategic)


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eProcurement (Strategic)

Description- This initiative reinforces USDA’s Integrated Acquisition System (IAS) capability which is a web-based solution designed to streamline and automate contract management and acquisition processes throughout USDA.

Value Proposition- IAS is being pursued, in conjunction with multiple agency efforts including FSA, FS, and NRCS. Efforts to provide a single gateway for all USDA suppliers and buyers will optimize the value of the USDA’s investments in this area by passing along cost savings to every agency that uses the system. With over 2 billion dollars in transactions annually, an eProcurement solution has the potential to show large impact. The IAS will provide a streamlined procurement tool that will allow USDA to use the functionality in the government-wide Quicksilver project called the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE).

Short and Long term Vision


• Implementation of IAS as Department-wide procurement solution

• Migration effort from existing legacy procurement systems and processes to Departmental solution

• Integration with financial management tools

• Integrated document management capability to use with industry partners for seamless information exchange

• Fully electronic bidding and contract system

• Integrated eProcurement solution with eMarketplaces in the private sector

• Integrated eProcurement solution with Department supply chain management solution for extended automation to inventory and asset management

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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

• eProcurement is already underway through Departmental Administration’s implementation of the Integrated Acquisition System (IAS). IAS is fully integrated with the the Quicksilver initiative named Integrated Acquisition.

• Funding has already been provided to Departmental Administration. They are in the process of procuring a vendor.

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the IAS system is: FY’02: $5 M

FY’03: $13.8 M

To-Be EnvironmentAll USDA agencies use IAS and related services provided under Quicksilver. Project review and monitoring will take place coinciding with agency rollout and adoption. Estimated to save us $X per annum when fully functional.

eProcurement (Strategic)


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Enabling Opportunities

User Authentication and Electronic Signatures

USDA Web Presence (includes Portal strategy)

Document/records/correspondence management/workflow tools

eLearning

Content/Knowledge management

Data Management


Enabling Smart Choice Candidates

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USDA eGovernment Enablers Related Quicksilver Initiatives

USDA Web Presence USA Service (Customer Relationship Management)

User Authentication and Electronic Signatures E-Authentication

eLearning E-Training

Information Management with Workflow E-Records Management

Data Management

Application Hosting

Citizen and Public/Private Organization Database USA Service (Customer Relationship Management)

Service Center eEnablement

CRM for Service Centers USA Service (Customer Relationship Management)

USDA eGovernment Enablers vs. Quicksilver Initiatives

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User Authentication and Electronic Signatures (Enabler)


Description: Create a Department-wide strategy to define policies and a set of solutions for electronic alternatives to traditional ink signatures for citizens, partners and employees. This initiative will outline the specifications for selecting the most appropriate method based on risk and security levels and will develop a core set of Departmental capabilities around each one. This initiative will be developed in conjunction with the Quicksilver initiative.

Value Proposition: A user authentication and authorization capability is critical to enabling eGovernment. Properly identifying, verifying, and authenticating users will enable USDA to execute business transactions and accept data online. Further, implementing a consistent solution will enhance capabilities for cross-agency and cross-initiative integration and reduce design, implementation, and support costs.

Publish electronic signatures guidance for the Department

Develop enhanced employee database to serve as globally available user authentication tool

Publish guidance and conduct vendor analysis on PKI and alternate solutions

Enterprise acquisition(s) of authentication and authorization tools and services

• Integrate with other Government Departments on cross-government user authentication and rights management


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

• An Electronic Signatures Policy is currently being developed by the OCIO.

• NFC is currently developing a PKI solution.

• The County-based Agencies have developed a non-PKI alternative.


FY’03: $0 M

To-Be Environment

A suite of interoperable user authentication and authorization tools that are integrated with USDA’s enterprise architecture. OCIO and the Office of General Counsel will finalize and communicate policy and procedures; concurrently beginning to identify requirements for security tools and technology options with agencies. Effort will include documenting existing PKI and other efforts at USDA and sharing best practices. Solution set will be in line with OMB guidance, Quicksilver, and homeland security directives.

User Authentication and Electronic Signatures (Enabler)


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USDA Web Presence (Enabler)


Description: Enhance USDA web presentation to improve usability and provide a consistent customer experience. This initiative would allow all users to navigate USDA’s websites and portals based on their desired tasks or topics, rather than by USDA's organizational structure. The initiative should redesign and restructure USDA’s web sites based on standard user-interface guidelines for a consistent look and navigation across all USDA sites and web-based applications. The initiative also includes the definition of a portal strategy to ensure the Department is implementing their customer-centric portals consistently and in a manner that can be integrated with other Department applications.

Value Proposition: As the USDA web presence matures, and increasing amounts of data and applications are available online, USDA must ensure a simple and consistent user experience across the Department. While many USDA agency’s web sites and future portals are unique and do not share customer groups, these web standards will instill a high level of usability and ease of navigation, ultimately translating to a more effective customer experience. The web presence is also highly visible to all of USDA’s constituencies and will likely become the primary information dissemination mechanism. How information and applications are presented will shape opinions about working with the USDA.

• Publish a comprehensive UI style guide for all USDA web-based portals, web sites, and online applications along with templates and graphics for use

• Define the scope for portals at USDA

• Define requirements for Departmental portal capability

• Sponsor an Agency pilot as a proof of concept prototype (AMS)

• Complete a vendor assessment and select a portal product for Department-wide use

• Develop an advanced search engine for searching all USDA web sites

• Enforce robust meta-data standards for all web pages available publicly and internally in order to yield better search results

• Create or outsource a usability lab for testing all online applications to ensure ease of use

• Implement multiple portals based on customer need and integrate with other smart choice initiatives

• Enforce global style sheet standards across the Department


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

• The Office of Communication is currently redesigning the USDA Website.

• FS, AMS, APHIS, and CBAs are in various stages exploring portal options.

• AMS will serve as the Department’s pilot for portal technologies.

• There are 14 initiatives in ITIPS that are related to the Website and Portal Strategy: CIMS; CNPP - Internet Based Tool; Electronic Access; Inter/Intra/EDI; Inter/Intranet; FNS Inter/Intranet; OCE-eGov; VS Elec Forms; USDA Web Page Re-design; Streamlining ARS Web; FS Web Page Redesign/Standard; Web Page Survey; AMS eGov; PPQ Inter/Intranet

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $1.8 M

FY’03: $2.5 M

To-Be EnvironmentConsistent and customer-centered presentation of USDA information and services supported by a standardized suite of interoperable portal products. OCIO, agency CIOs, OC, and agency Webmasters will develop policy and guidelines regarding look and feel and navigation for USDA Web sites concurrent with USDA.gov redesign. Search engine capabilities available from Firstgov.gov will be leveraged to eliminate redundant expenditures. USDA portal pilot will be launched to test tools and identify best governance policies and procedures. Concurrently, agencies will develop a USDA portal strategy and vendor analysis of portal products for integration with USDA’s enterprise architecture. These efforts will be joined to leverage investments in finalize and communicate EA for USDA portals based on AMS pilot and broader analysis as well as develop a simple how-to cookbook for other portals under consideration.

USDA Web Presence (Enabler)


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Electronic Document/Records Management with Workflow (Enabler)


Description: Develop a Departmental solution for managing documents, official records, and correspondence electronically. This initiative would specifically develop the following: 1) Electronic management of records (record identification, expiration tracking, archiving, etc.), 2) Workflow defining the path and sign-off documents, records, and correspondence need to follow, and 3) A search capability for the intelligent storage and retrieval of documents and records. This initiative will integrate with the corporate taxonomy development effort under the content/knowledge management initiative.

Value Proposition: As the Department transitions to more electronic forms of information, ensuring that information moves throughout the organization and can be appropriately stored and easily retrieved is critical. A Department-wide model would provide multiple benefits, not only consolidating the multiple ongoing data and records management efforts, but also greatly accelerating and improving agencies’ ability to comply with Federal records management requirements and the information collection/reuse requirements outlined in the Paperwork Reduction Act and Government Paperwork Elimination Act.

• Document/records/correspondence management client software to all PC’s in the Department (or build a web-based solution accessible via a browser)

• Advanced search and retrieval capabilities (potential integration with web site search capabilities to locate other document types than web pages)

• Integrated solution with NARA for outsourcing storage and archiving capabilities

• USDA forms made available online using document/records management and workflow capability

• Consolidation of current agency efforts and define Department-wide requirements

• Approval and enforcement of electronic records management policy

• Pilot for single end-to-end workflow process for a standard office document, an official record, and/or a correspondence

• Department-wide deployment of the controlled correspondence initiative


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

There is no Departmental controlling body for Document/Records/Correspondence Management.

There are 10 systems in ITIPS that relate to this initiative: Auto Records Mgt Prod. Claims; INCA; AMS WorkFlow Mgt Sys; Elect. Doc Storage Sys; Dept Elec Info Mgt Sys; Doc Mgt Imaging Sysl Integrated Elec Imaging Datas; FS Correspondence DB (Lotus Notes); Preserving Digital Publications; PPQ Records Mgt Sys

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $ 1.4 M

FY’03: $ 1.9 M

To-Be EnvironmentA standardized suite of interoperable document and records management tools that are integrated with USDA’s enterprise architecture.. Department needs to update, issue and communicate eRecords Management policies and procedures, including training. Cooperation with paper-based records management and storage also necessary. Pilot and rollout of correspondence management will serve as first major workflow example. An inventory of current forms automation tools and recommended EA is recently underway given importance of e-File and GPEA.

Electronic Document/Records Management with Workflow (Enabler)


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eLearning (Enabler)


Description: Develop a Department-wide eLearning curriculum platform to facilitate online training. A curriculum management system would allow employees and citizens to track their progress in completing a pre-defined curriculum, register for new courses and allow management and trainers to track progress and add new courseware to the online repository. This capability allows any employee or customer to develop, monitor, and manage their respective training curriculum while leveraging common training content. This capability also allows individual Agencies to publish courseware to one location to enable sharing of courseware, etc.

Value Proposition: During interviews with several Under Secretaries and CIO's, a top priority was the training of their people, either to bring them up to speed on a computer skill set or to perform on the job training to enhance their current skillet. The definition of a Department-wide curriculum management system will facilitate the steady migration to a hybrid of online and classroom-based training. This will ensure training goals can be met more effectively than with an exclusive classroom-based curriculum.

• Department-wide curriculum management capability (outsourced or developed)

• Online registration capabilities for offline course material

• Migration of existing online course material to run within curriculum management system

• Definition of standards (user interface, language support, system requirements, etc.) for eLearning applications

• Outsourcing arrangements for migration of offline curriculum to be provided online

• USDA Graduate School as an online university and a potential profit center

• Advanced business simulation capabilities

• Integration with knowledge management system to provide training at “point of need”

•


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

• There are several examples of e-courseware examples in agencies including those in RD, FSIS, RMA, and OCIO

• FS has budgeted funds for e-Courseware licenses but figures have not been decided.

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above system is estimated at: FY’02: $ - M

FY’03: $ - M

To-Be EnvironmentA standardized eLearning tools set for all USDA agencies that supports common and agency-specific curriculum. Per Start Small and Think Big, Ag Library, USDA Grad School and representative agencies and offices will determine if one shared tool/platform will meet needs versus estimated three currently underway as well as outsourcing/ASP options near- and long-term. Content will remain the province of agencies.

eLearning (Enabler)


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Content/Knowledge Management (Enabler)


Description: Develop Departmental solution(s) for managing the development, approval, publishing, sharing, and classification of web pages, documents, multimedia, official records, and correspondence.

Value Proposition: As the Department transitions to increasingly creating and utilizing information in an electronic format, new tools and processes must be created that facilitate the creation and sharing of this information both internally and externally. Content and knowledge management prevent the USDA from “re-inventing the wheel” by giving visibility to what employees have built throughout the Department. Content and knowledge management also increase collaboration enterprise-wide, throughout the Federal Government, and with the private sector, potentially saving significant time and resources.

• Define corporate taxonomy for consistent classification of all information

• Perform vendor analysis of content management capability and execute pilot

• Enhance employee directory for knowledge sharing purposes

• Create Yahoo-style directory of ALL internal sites that is classified using the corporate taxonomy

• Develop advanced search and retrieval capabilities (potential integration with web site search capabilities to locate other document types than web pages)

• Integrate Agriculture library as primary knowledge managers to review content and facilitate consistent classification, and manage corporate taxonomy

• Integrate content management toolset in to all information sharing processes

• Proliferate knowledge sharing “culture” throughout the Department by using knowledge contributions as formal job performance metric, etc.


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State• NAL has developed a taxonomy to support USDA’s information delivery services.• There are no existing examples of content management system solutions in any of the agencies.• Several examples of knowledge management/work flow capabilities exist including FNS’s partner web and

FSIS’s LEARN system.• FS has some proof of concept projects in the areas of end user support, enterprise architecture, and web

information deliver that are parts of larger projects but none of them specifically address a content management solution.

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $.08 M

FY’03: $.08 M

To-Be EnvironmentA standard information taxonomy and suite of interoperable content and knowledge management tools that are integrated with USDA’s enterprise architecture. Agency representatives will develop a business case for a standard taxonomy and content management tools, ideally concurrent to Portal Strategy development. Content management effort will be lead by REE and include a review of tools for one common USDA EA tool. KM pilots to be identified and projected, ideally one for each goal as a start using common EA.

Content/Knowledge Management (Enabler)


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Data Management (Enabler)


Description: Provide the guiding principles and framework for implementing a corporate data management program, including: 1) The definition of a Department-wide data dictionary for back-end data sharing, 2) The creation of centralized databases “of record” and a corporate data architecture, and 3) Data life-cycle management and data sharing strategy.

Value Proposition: The number of legacy systems at USDA and the public and private organizations with which it interacts is very large. A data management strategy with all of its components will enable the Department to better perform back-end integration to bring enhanced services, and consolidate disparate data stores in to databases of record. This translates to the reuse of data, large time savings for system integration, additional support for a knowledge management capability, and an opportunity to lead Government and Industry in setting data standards.

• Common data dictionary for future development of database-driven applications

• Identification of redundant data elements across the Department

• Development of Department data management strategy for use by all application development efforts

• Develop migration plan for legacy data

• Consolidation of redundant data to “databases of record” throughout the Department

• Department-wide data warehouses that include robust API’s for interaction with all applications

• Archiving, storage, back-up and aging strategy

• Both participate in and lead data exchange forums


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Agencies Impacted

All Agencies

As-Is State

• Drafts of policies exist around data management but no Department-wide policy exists.

• AMS is currently defining data-sharing standards.

• Several agencies are working with private sector to define XML standards.

• Other examples include: the Service Center Modernization Initiative data warehousing effort; RMA has a data mining initiative

• There are 4 systems related to data mining in ITIPS: Data Admin # 22; Data Warehousing; Database Admin #23; FNS Integrated Data WH

Funding: Existing funding allocated to the above systems is estimated at: FY’02: $ - M

FY’03: $ - M

To-Be EnvironmentStandard data definitions and dictionary for mission-critical data sets to enable greater data sharing. Team will work with industry on HTML standards, further advance Agricultural Library data dictionary efforts, and communicate policies. Document USDA data warehousing “as-is” including best practices and funding across Department and agencies. Create plans based on this analysis.

Data Management (Enabler)


Documents

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program Smart Choices Overview for Business Cases February 28, 2002