CIO study due next year

GAO Executive Guide "Maximizing the Success of Chief Information Officers: Learning from Leading Organizations" (PDF)

Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) hopes to discover trends and lessons for federal chief information officers.

A study of the roles and responsibilities of government CIOs is to be completed in early spring, along with a similar study of private-sector CIOs, said Bob Dix, Putnam's chief of staff. Putnam is chairman of the House Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census.

The report is expected to address CIOs' positions within agencies' management structures and how that relates to fulfilling the CIOs' responsibilities, Dix said.

Under the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, which created the position within the federal government, the CIO reports directly to the head of the agency, but that is not always how the structure works.

In February 2001, the General Accounting Office released an executive guide with best practices for federal CIOs, drawing from government and commercial sector examples. That guide highlighted many differences between how companies and agencies position a CIO. The subcommittee expects to compare the findings from its federal study with those from the industry study.