GAO list helps navigate rules for financial IT

The Government Accountability Office last month published a checklist of core financial system requirements to help agencies meet federal mandates.The checklist provides questions to help capture the functional and technical requirements issued by the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program.The questions cover such functions as general ledger or account balances, payment, receivables, and cost management and financial reporting, as well as technical requirements such as configuration, operating procedures, user interfaces and interoperability.The checklist is designed to help systems analysts and program managers who develop and implement financial management systems—and the auditors and managers who evaluate them—be sure the systems comply with the 1996 Federal Financial Management Improvement Act. To see the checklist, go to www.gcn.com and enter 377 in the Quickfind box.