VA's FLITE Crashes Again

In July, the Veterans Affairs Department shutdown most of its grand scheme to update its asset-and-bean-counting systems, the $400 million Financial and Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise program, due to a high risk of failure.

At the time, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker said he intended to proceed with the program's strategic asset management system, intended to replace multiple legacy applications and provide better control of the VA supply chain.

Maybe its time to rethink that, based on a department inspector general report released on Tuesday concluding the asset management system lacked proper adult supervision.

Among other things, the inspector general said VA managers did not adequately manage performance of the system's contractor, General Dynamics Information Technology, and did not develop written procedures that clearly defined roles and responsibilities related to interface development for contractor and VA personnel.

The execs overseeing the asset management system, the inspector general added, were unable to foster a collaborative environment between the contractor and VA personnel, and were unable to develop an effective working environment between both parties.

Have they tried getting everyone around a campfire to sing Kumbaya?