FBI's case management project remains on shaky ground

The FBI's project to develop a new case management system, called Sentinel, has hit yet another speed bump.

The Justice Department's inspector general's latest audit finds the FBI's cost, schedule and performance has slipped again.

The FBI, which awarded Lockheed Martin a $305 million contract in 2006 to develop a Web-based case management system, planned to have Sentinel fully implemented by December 2009.

Now the bureau tells the IG that Sentinel will be finished by September 2010-three months after its revised date and nine months later than the FBI initially estimate.

Additionally, the IG finds that while the FBI's revised cost estimate for the total project remains at $451 million -- up from the original $425 million -- the amount of money going to Lockheed increased to by $6.3 million and could go even higher as new requirements are under consideration.

And finally, auditors find that the slippage in schedule likely will be pushed back further for some of the capabilities under Phase 2 of the program such as the electronic document management system and workflow processes, as the FBI had to fix its enterprise delivery services (EDS), which did not provide the security requirements expected. The document management and workflow processes depend on the EDS system.

"[F]ive of the eight electronic forms and their supporting workflows, which had originally been scheduled for Phase 2, have been deferred to later phases of the project while the other three are planned for deployment in Phase 2, Segment 4," the IG states.

"In addition to the changes in the cost, schedule and scope of Phase 2, we are concerned that the lack of progress the FBI has made in planning for the migration of administrative case data from Administrative Case Management System (ACS) to Sentinel will delay the completion of Phase 2, Segment 4 and potentially increase Sentinel's overall cost."

The IG concludes that the FBI's new schedule is more realistic and its use of an incremental approach to developing capabilities reduces the program's risk.

The FBI responded to the IG report and specifically addressed the ACS.

"The FBI has begun user testing of Sentinel's Administrative Case Management system, including three electronic forms and automated workflows," the bureau says in a release.

"Following a brief pilot in the FBI's Richmond, [Va.] Tampa [Fla.] and Chicago offices, the FBI will deliver these capabilities across the FBI, marking the completion of Phase 2."

The bureau also says it has begun addressing the IG's six new recommendations and closed 30 of 31 previous suggestions.

Among the IG's latest suggestions are fully staffing the Sentinel program management office, increasing user involvement in requirement development and developing a goal for Sentinel response time that includes the network on which data travels.

"The Sentinel program has steadily improved and refined its business practices," the FBI says.

Lockheed Martin has referred all calls to the FBI.

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On the Web:

Justice Inspector General -- Report on Sentinel

FBI -- Press release about IG report on Sentinel

Justice -- Sentinel business case

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