Attachment_A___FSA_IGSS_IDIQ_Functional_Descriptions.pdf

Attachment A

FSA Integrated Governance Support

Functional Descriptions

Functional Descriptions

FSA Integrated Governance Support (IGS) activities primarily supports the Investment Management Group (IMG), Enterprise IT Architecture and Strategic Infrastructure Group (EITASIG) and the FSA Enterprise Data Office (EDO).

FSA’s Investment Management program is part of FSA’s Performance Management Office and reports to the Chief Performance Officer. The Investment Management Group (IMG) is responsible for the governance of current and proposed investments while optimizing the priority and sequencing of projects to achieve FSA’s business goals. Project Portfolio Managers (PPMs) work with each business unit and the enterprise as a whole to ensure project investment and oversight of resources including time, money and people. This Group focuses on Pre-Select for the enterprise and on tactical planning for FSA investments. Included in this function is support for FSA’s Investment Review Board (IRB), management of FSA’s Enterprise Sequencing Plan and Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process requirements and artifacts. The primary purpose of the office is to focus on enterprise needs over individual business unit needs. FSA manages its entire investment portfolio using investment management principles found in OMB Circular A-11, Part 7. IMG ensures that the processes are successfully implemented and integrated with the Department's budget, Enterprise Architecture, performance-based acquisition, and strategic planning processes. Additionally, IMG provides quarterly required reports to OMB on FSA’s High-Impact investments and additional OMB data collection points such as OMB’s e-Gov Integrated Data Collection (IDC). IDC is a consolidated approach to reporting requirements related to OMB's Office of E-Government and IT, the Federal CIO, and the Federal IT management community.

FSA’s Investment Management and Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) program is under the direction of the Director of Investment Management. The PPMs and CPIC team members work closely with the Enterprise Project Management Office to ensure investments follow FSA’s Lifecycle Management Methodology (LMM) and participate in stage gate reviews. The IMG integrates the Investment Management Process and CPIC process with strategic planning, enterprise architecture, budgeting, finance and accounting, acquisition management processes and other governance processes used by FSA to manage its portfolio of investments.

FSA’s Investment Management objective is to provide FSA with a well-planned and effectively managed investment management and governance process. FSA performs the following activities in support of achieving this objective: Portfolio management; investment prioritization; Investment Review Board process facilitation; investment planning and reporting; strategic initiative execution; project program management and reporting; project program financials, and enterprise project management.

FSA’s Enterprise IT Architecture and Strategic Infrastructure Group (EITASIG) is part of FSA’s Technology Office (TO) and reports to the FSA Chief Information Officer (CIO). EITASIG is responsible for providing enterprise-wide technology planning and oversight, developing and maintaining technology, and providing the necessary processes and discipline to ensure that FSA is investing and using Information Technology wisely.

The FSA Enterprise Architecture Group is part of EITASIG and is responsible for developing, executing, and managing the FSA Enterprise Architecture Program. FSA’s EA Program adheres to legislative requirements and administrative mandates, and follows guidance and best practices recommended by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Federal CIO Council. The mission of the EA Program is to provide stakeholders the information, tools, and assistance required to define an Enterprise Architecture and utilize the information about the organization to inform investment decisions and close performance gaps.

FSA’s Enterprise Architecture Program objective is to take a performance-based view across the enterprise and highlight those areas where opportunities for improvement, streamlining, standardization, and re-use exist.

The Enterprise Data Office (EDO) is part of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO). The primary mission of the Enterprise Data Office is to provide high quality data analytics to inform stakeholders and enhance FSA’s capabilities to make informed strategic management decisions.

The Enterprise Data Office is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the Federal Student Aid Enterprise Data Warehouse, which will serve as the repository for information on FSA’s financial aid programs. The office is responsible and accountable for data analytics activities, to include large-scale analytical studies, modeling, statistical analyses, and forecasting. This information will be used to study and forecast information about FSA’s financial assistance programs, including the possible outcomes of various operational decisions and regulatory or programmatic changes. Further, the information will be used to fulfill data requests and respond to inquiries.