August 15, 2002

1
Department of Veterans AffairsCIO
ConferenceCONOPS Breakout Group Out-brief
One VA Turning Slogan Into Reality

• August 15, 2002

2
Problem Summary

• Our budget documentation does not reflect what we
  are really doing
• There are areas where IT funds can not be
  properly accounted
• Our As Is architecture complicates securing the
  enterprise
• Our As Is architecture is too expensive to
  operate and maintain
• We lack standardization where it makes sense to
  do
• We buy our products by the glass rather than
  by the gallon
• Implementing the To Be Enterprise Architecture
  must be approached with a sense of urgency

3
Why Are We Here?(Reason 6 Recapped)

• To determine how best to implement the
  Secretarys memo of August 6, 2002
• We must not loose sight, as we work our way
  through these tough issues, of our need to
  provide quality clinical care, effective and
  efficient claims processing, and memorializing
  our nations Veterans
• These services must not be allowed to degrade
• We need to focus on how we solve our IT issues to
  provide better service to our nations Veterans
• The Secretarys memo does not put anyones
  employment at risk

Achieve a One-VA IT Team That Will Provide
Quality Service to our Customers
4
Ground Rules

• Non-negotiable items for the reorganization
  breakout group
• Our task is to determine how best to implement
  the Secretarys memo
• The VA Central Office and the Administrations
  staff Cyber Security functions will be combined
• We can not allow what happens here to be
  detrimental to providing service to our nations
  Veterans
• We need to develop a structure based on
  echelons
• We need to put ourselves in the shoes of those
  providing service to our nations Veterans and
  not make this a Washington-centric exercise
• Everything else is on the table for discussion

5
VA Information Technology Organization
VA Central Office
CIO Deputy CIO (DCIO)


DCIO Memorial Affairs
DCIO Benefits
DCIO Health
Staff Functions (Budget, WF, etc.)
ADAS Cyber Security
ADAS Knowledge Management
ADAS Operations
ADAS Policy, Plans, Programs
Business Assurance
JPO
Enterprise Architecture
Information Management
Capital Planning
Financial Management
IT Support Service
Telecom Cust Spt Svc
Privacy Services
Critical Infrastructure Protection
Network Infrastructure Management
Telecom Operations Management
Records Management
Program Oversight

• All VACO Administration Headquarters Cyber
  Security staffs will be consolidated to have a
  One-VA approach to Cyber Security

• The position of IT Budget Director will need to
  be established to manage the execution year IT
  funding

6
VA Information Technology Organization
7
What about the money?

• For FY2003, all elements of the final
  organization will develop financial execution
  plans, or spend plans
• Once approved, funds will be disbursed so the
  mission can be accomplished
• Managers will have some leeway in changing the
  plan during execution
• Criteria for this leeway must be developed this
  week
• We will start by fencing the rebaselined funds
  for FY2003 that are identified in the FY2004
  budget exhibits
• Excess funds will be returned to the appropriate
  business line or negotiated for use on unfunded
  critical IT items
• There are process issues with VERA that need to
  be addressed
• We need to have approved financial execution
  plans by no later than September 25th
• Needed to FY2003 execution
• Needed to support the next tentatively scheduled
  IT hearing with Congress
• We will address how to build financial execution
  plans later in the conference

8
What about the money?

• We must continue to provide quality service to
  our Veteran and internal customers using our
  current IT systems
• We must correct our cyber security deficiencies
  with a sense of urgency
• We must turn the One-VA slogan to reality as we
  implement the soon to be published One-VA
  Enterprise Architecture (EA)
• We must focus on modernizing costly legacy IT
  systems to reduce operations sustainment cost
  in accordance with the EA
• We must promote re-engineering cross-functional
  integration of our business processes in
  accordance with the EA
• We must focus on our workforce planning take
  care of our people
• Everything else

9
Approach for theReorganization Breakout Group

• Members CIO, DCIOs, VISN CIOs, NSC Directors,
  VACO Staff IT Managers, Data Center Directors,
  VISN Directors, and RO Directors
• We need to examine organizational alternatives to
  implement the Secretarys direction and develop
  pros and cons to each alternative
• We can start by examining two different
  approaches
• Service based model
• Owner based model
• There will be permutations within each of the
  above two models
• We may find the right answer is a hybrid of the
  two

10
Food for Thought

• The real organization follows the flow of the
  money
• There should never be more than two layers of
  management between the leader of those doing the
  work and the one who has overall responsibility
• Lines of authority must be clear and unambiguous
• Those responsible with executing the mission must
  be empowered to do their job and resourced
  correctly with people and funding to do their job
• Empowerment does not mean the boss doesnt need
  to know or doesnt have a vote

11
Breakout Group Results(Cyber Security)

• VISN ISOs and NSC ISOs (i.e., Echelon II ISOs)
  with report directly to the Office of Cyber
  Security
• Facility ISOs will report to the facility
  directors with strong functions lines of
  accountability to be established between the
  VISN/NSC ISOs and the facility ISOs
• We need to better understand how to affordably
  staff ISO positions

Cyber Security Threats are Real We Must Attack
This Problem With a Sense of Urgency
12
VA Cyber Security Organization
VA Central Office Echelon I
Field Echelon II
VISN CIOs
NSCs
VA CIRC
VISN ISOs
NSC ISOs
VAMC Director
RO Director
VAMC ISO
RO ISO
SOC 1
RO Director
VAMC Director
VAMC ISO
RO ISO
SOC 2
VAMC Director
RO Director
VAMC ISO
RO ISO
. . .
. . .
Field Echelon III
. . .
. . .
VAMC Director
RO Director
VAMC ISO
RO ISO
13
Breakout Group Results(Benefits IT Support)

• Regional Office Directors will retain their IRM
  staffs
• There already exists a strong functional
  relationship with the NSCs and this will continue
• The NSCs will report directly to the VBA Office
  of Field Operations (OFO) for customer support
  and to the DCIO for Benefits for matters of IT
  support and IT financial accountability
• Organizational relationships will be revisited
  when VBA transitions from local computing to
  regional computing

14
VA Benefits IT Support Organization
VA Central Office Echelon I
VBA OFO
Field Echelon II
NSC 2
NSC 3
NSC 1
RO Director
RO Director
RO Director
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO Director
RO Director
RO Director
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO Director
RO Director
RO Director
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO IRM
. . .
. . .
. . .
Field Echelon III
. . .
. . .
. . .
RO Director
RO Director
RO Director
RO IRM
RO IRM
RO IRM
15
Breakout Group Results(Health IT Support)

• There are substantive standardization and
  financial accountability issues at Echelons II
  III that must be resolved before we effect any
  further changes without breaking the ground rule
  of no degradation to Veteran services
• Medical Centers will retain their IRM staffs
• VISN CIOs will continue to report to their VISN
  Directors but will have a strong functional and
  financial relationship with the DCIO for Health
• There are two models for field support for health
  care
• Both models will be preserved to start the next
  fiscal year
• Organizational relationships will be revisited
  when issues of standardization are resolved

16
VA Health IT Support Organization
VA Central Office Echelon I
Network Director
Field Echelon II
O I F O
O I F O
O I F O
VISN CIO
VISN CIO

?or?
VAMC Director
VAMC Director
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
VAMC IRM
VAMC IRM
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
Direct report Policy and flow
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
VAMC IRM
VAMC IRM
Field Echelon III
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
VAMC IRM
OI FO Det
VAMC IRM
OI FO Det
OI FO Det
17
Remaining VA IT Organization
18
Action Plan

• Define spend plan format, process, time line.
• Spend plans (v.1.0) need to be submitted by Sept.
  16
• Establish additional financial management
  discipline
• Formed spend plan team for immediate action
  (Shelly)
• Develop specific performance objectives metrics
  for the reorganization, including time line.
• Communicate changes in reporting structure
  relationships to stakeholders and field.
• Elevator speech
• EA Communications Plan
• Form ongoing and representative CONOPS working
  group

19
Action Plan

• Define roles, responsibilities, and performance
  expectations for direct and indirect
  (dotted-line/blue line) reporting relationships.
• Department CIO and Network Directors
• VISN CIO and Network Director
• VISN CIO and DCIO Health
• Equivalent relationships in VBA
• NCAs are already clearly defined
• IRM chiefs and facility directors
• Among and within the three echelon
• Echelon I structure for DCIOs and VACO staff
  senior IT managers needs to be fleshed out over
  the next two weeks

20
Implementing the SecretarysAugust 6 Memo -
Summary

• A three-echelon structure was selected and
  initial steps were taken for implementation
• There are substantive standardization and
  financial accountability issues at echelons II
  III that must be resolved before we effect any
  further changes without breaking the ground rule
  of no degradation to Veteran services
• Immediate Material changes
• Spend plans for IT execution are now required and
  must be approved by the VISN Director and the
  Department CIO
• Cyber Security is consolidated at echelon I
• Echelon II ISOs reports to the Office of Cyber
  Security
• Echelon III ISOs report to facility director with
  strong functional reporting responsibility to the
  Echelon II ISOs
• One CIO Office at Echelon I
• One layer of reporting structure between the VA
  CIO and the VISN CIOs/NSCs for matters of IT
• More changes may follow The memo has NOT gone
  away!!!