IT investing Don'ts

OMB

Mark Forman says the way agencies invest in information technology is problematic.

Here are a few of the problem areas:

* "Fad buying," when agencies buy technology just because it is hot in the market—not because it's actually needed.

* Using technology to replace good management and processes, rather than thinking about how technology supports processes.

* Not developing and following an IT architecture, so systems are deployed without any thought to how they will affect agency performance.