Information technology projects at the Veterans Affairs Department are reviewed under the Program Management Accountability System, and have been since July 2009. But VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker recently questioned the resiliency of the program.

"I'm not satisfied that if I left today PMAS would continue on," said Baker while speaking at an April 14 ACT-IAC event in Washington, D.C.

"We need to make it so ingrained in the organization that in two years--if we're not voted back in--nobody at VA says 'Oh, he's gone, so screw that PMAS stuff.'"

The most prominent supporter of PMAS probably is VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who touted the gains made at the agency as a result of PMAS, during a March 2 Senate Veterans Affairs subcommittee hearing. "In just one year, PMAS exceeded an 80 percent success rate of meeting customers' milestones," Shinseki said.

Shinseki added that PMAS is enabling the rapid delivery transformative technology, and allowing VA to hold itself and its contractors accountable for cost, schedule and performance.

Baker said he wants to ensure PMAS doesn't fall by the wayside. He also wants the benefits VA is reaping from PMAS to serve as an example for the rest of government, he said.

"I want to make certain that VA remains an example for the rest of government. We keep hitting 75 to 80 percent of our milestones," said Baker. "I didn't come in [as VA CIO] to say, 'let's create an example for the rest of government,' but it's turning out that way."

Baker said there are several IT strategies VA is using that other agencies have not "bought in to" and it's time to adopt them and stop arguing about their legitimacy: A consolidated budget, more agile/modular acquisition and accountability sessions.

"Most agencies, frankly, aren't as complex as VA is, so they could do this much more easily than VA did," said Baker.

"It's easy to say, 'we can't do it' when nobody else is doing it. But when somebody else is doing it bigger, better and faster than you're doing it, it's really hard to say, 'well, we couldn't possible do it,'" said Baker. "You have to justify why you're different."

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