25 Point Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management

The 25 Point Implementation Plan, introduced by Federal CIO Vivek Kundra in December of 2009, details the 25 steps federal agencies must take to migrate to cloud solutions when possible; better manage large-scale IT programs; and improve program acquisition, management, budgeting, governance and accountability.

OMB's 25 Point Plan was developed to combat the pervasive inefficiencies and expenses in government agencies' IT infrastructures.

If done right, agencies will reap great benefits by following the federal government's 25 Point Plan. Cloud computing, shared services and data center consolidation mean efficiency and cost savings. At the same time, making these changes forces agency leaders to examine processes and goals, which can only lead to even greater efficiencies. The plan also encourages partnership with industry which is a great way to think outside the box. Agencies that take the time to explore the variety of industry solutions and identify which solutions worked well for other agencies will only benefit from the technical knowledge and innovation that industry brings to government.

The Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) is a subset of the 25 Point Implementation Plan, and several of the steps are similar.

Below is a matrix of the consolidated 25 Point Implementation Plan that details the required action items, action items owners, and deadlines for each.

25 Point Plan Action Items

Action Item		Owner(s)	Within 6 mos.	6-12 mos.	12-18 mos.
1	Complete detailed implementation plans to consolidate 800 data centers by 2015	OMB, Agencies	•
2	Create a government-wide marketplace for data center availability	OMB, GSA			•
3	Shift to a “Cloud First” policy	OMB, Agencies	•
4	Stand-up contract vehicles for secure IaaS solutions	GSA	•
5	Stand-up contract vehicles for “commodity” services	GSA		•
6	Develop a strategy for shared services	Federal CIO		•
7	Design a formal IT program management career path	OPM, OMB	•
8	Scale IT program management career path	OPM, Agencies			•
9	Require Integrated Program Teams	OMB	•
10	Launch a best practices collaboration platform	Federal CIO Council	•
11	Launch technology fellows program	Federal CIO		•
12	Enable IT program manager mobility across government and industry	OMB, CIO Council, OPM			•
13	Design and develop cadre of specialized IT acquisition professionals	OMB, Agencies	•
14	Identify IT acquisition best practices and adopt government-wide	OFPP	•
15	Issue contracting guidance and templates to support modular development	OFPP		•
16	Reduce barriers to entry for small innovative technology companies	SBA, GSA,OFPP			•
17	Work with Congress to create IT budget models that align with modular development	OMB, Agencies	•
18	Develop supporting materials and guidance for flexible IT budget models	OMB, CFO Council, CIO Council		•
19	Work with Congress to scale flexible IT budget models more broadly	OMB, Agencies			•
20	Work with Congress to consolidate Commodity IT spending under Agency CIO	OMB, Agencies	•
21	Reform and strengthen Investment Review Boards	OMB, Agencies	•
22	Redefine role of Agency CIOs and Federal CIO Council	Federal CIO, Agency CIOs	•
23	Rollout “TechStat” model at bureau-level	Agency CIOs			•
24	Launch “myth-busters” education campaign	OFPP	•
25	Launch an interactive platform for pre-RFP agency-industry collaboration	GSA	•