Underperforming Software and Information Technology in the Department of Defense
Responses to a formal survey of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) workforce, findings from other studies, and anecdotal evidence suggest that information technology (IT) infrastructure and software-based systems throughout DoD are plagued by poor performance, which has potential negative impacts on institutional and operational needs. These problems are believed to come from deferred investment in departmentwide hardware and software, excessive complexity in the management of user environments, and poor system design and maintenance. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive effort to measure how significant these problems truly are or how they affect the DoD mission and workforce. The authors of this study provide a first look at the process of quantifying the impacts of underperforming software on department productivity, mission readiness, and morale to help DoD leadership understand the current situation and drive measurable improvement.