Case Study 3 — The FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation of the U.S. government, the FBI, was forced to scrap its $170 million virtual case file (VCF) management system. Official reports blamed numerous delays, cost overruns, and incompatible software. But a deeper examination of the cause of this failure uncovered issues of control, culture, and incompatible organizational systems.
Among its many duties, the FBI is charged with the responsibility to fight crime and terrorism. To do so requires a large number of agents located within the Unites States and around the world. That means agents must be able to share information among themselves within the bureau and with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. But sharing informationhas never been standard operating procedure for this agency. According to one source, "agents are accustomed to holding information close to their bulletproof vests and scorn the idea of sharing information."
Enter the FBI's efforts to modernize its infrastructure, code-named "Trilogy." The efforts included providing agents with 30,000 desktop PCs, high-bandwidth networks to connect FBI locations around the world, and the VCF project to facilitate sharing of case information worldwide. The FBI director explained to Congress that VCF would provide "an electronic means for agents to globally send field notes, documents, pieces of intelligence and other evidence so they could hopefully act faster on leads." It was designed to replace a paper-intensive process with an electronic, Web-based process. With such a reasonable goal, why didn't it work?
The CIO of the FBI offered one explanation. He claimed that "the FBI must radically change the agency's culture if the Bureau is ever going to get the high-tech analysis and surveillance tools it needs to effectively fight terrorism. We must move from a decentralized amalgam of 56 field offices that are deeply distrustful of technology, outsiders and each other to a seamlessly integrated global intelligence operation capable of sharing information and preventing crimes in real-time."
A former project manager at the FBI further explained, "They work under the idea that everything needs to be kept secret. But everything doesn't have to be kept secret. To do this right, you have to share information."
The VCF system has been shut down, but the CIO is working on a new approach. He is busy trying to win buy-in from agents in the field so that the next case management system will work. In addition, he is working to establish a portfolio management plan that will cover all of the FBI's IT projects, even those begun in decentralized offices. His team has been designing an enterprise architecture that will lay out standards for a bureauwide information system. The Director of the FBI has helped too. He reorganized the governance of IT, taking IT budget control away from the districts and giving total IT budget authority to the CIO.
The FBI announced that it will build a new case management system called Sentinel in four phases. The new system, according to the CIO, will include workflow, document management, record management, audit trails, access control, and single sign-on. To manage the expectations of the agents, the CIO plans to communicate often and significantly increase the training program for the new system. The CIO commented, "We want to automate those things that are the most manually cumbersome for the agents so they can see that technology can actually enhance their productivity. That is how to change their attitudes."
Class Discussion Questions
1. What do you think were the real reasons why the VCF system failed?
2. What were the points of alignment and misalignment between the Information Systems Strategy and the FBI organization?
3. What do you think of the CIO's final comment about how to change attitudes? Do you think it will work? Why or why not?
4. If you were the CIO, what would you do to help the FBI modernize and make better use of information technology?
Source: Adapted from Allan Holmes, "Why the G-Men Aren't IT Men," CIO Magazine (June 15, 2005), 42–45.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the mini-case Building Shared Services at PR Communications Vice President of IT, Vince Patton, is faced with the task of creating a single customer service center for the company. The case starts off with Vince firing the four divisional CIO’s, stating that “We don’t need any of you anymore. I’m creating one enterprise IT organization, and there’s no room for any of you.” (McKeen, p 127). Ross Roman, founder of PR Communications, then gives Vince the opportunity to completely turn around the IT department and has given full support to any of Vinces projects. This puts a lot of pressure and responsibility on Vince to complete this difficult task.…
- 1985 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
FBI have more resources they use their given right as a peace officer in a FEDERAL level to run analysis on the threats, trying to see who best fits the description. The profilers and analysts find out a pattern and have a suspected terrorist confirmed in their logs.…
- 608 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Who is the current leader of the agency? James Comey is the director of the FBI, being appointed by President Obama in 2013. What are the priorities and responsibilities (the Mission) of the agency? The FBI’s mission statement involves protecting and defending the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats and enforcing United States criminal law. The FBI also provides leadership and assists any other agencies that it might work with, from local Police Departments to other Federal or even international agencies. They actually list there number one priority as protecting the United States from a terrorist attack, so it fits pretty well with the mission statement. They also defend against cyber-attacks, protect civil liberties and combat multiple types of crime. The FBI’s moto is “Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity”, which…
- 556 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The indictment, said Janice Fedarcyk, assistant director in charge of our New York office, “describes an intricate international conspiracy conceived and carried out by sophisticated criminals.” She added, “The harm inflicted by the defendants was not merely a matter of reaping illegitimate income.”…
- 3323 Words
- 14 Pages
Good Essays -
|1 |Identify the principal issue presented by the |the requirement for investigation and prosecution of the computer network |…
- 2361 Words
- 10 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)is an agency made up of to protect the united states of america.They protect us from bad things and bad people.They can't get to every last crime on time to protect but most of the time they serve justice. The headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).They were established on July 26 in 1908.…
- 310 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The CIA had failed to alert INS and the FBI about their possible entrance into the United States. Khalid and Nawaf entered the United States unnoticed in Los Angeles on January 15, 2000 (9/11 Commission Report 2004, 355). The 9/11 Commission Report brought into place the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004; the IRTPA established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who serves as the head of the intelligence community; “act as the principal adviser to the President, to the National Security Council. And the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to the national security” (IRTPA 2004, Sec 102). The Directory of National Intelligence has access to all intelligence and is responsible for making sure that agencies are sharing information (IRTPA 2004, Sec 102). The goal of this paper is to examine the efforts made to ensure interagency information sharing and if those efforts have changed the how agencies share…
- 598 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Being aware of the FBI history will allow people to know what the FBI does at their job. the FBI was founded…
- 675 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a governmental agency belonging to the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency (counterintelligence). Also, it is the government agency responsible for investigating crimes on Native American reservations in the United States[2] under the Major Crimes Act. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime.[3]…
- 1044 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Louis J. Freeh was appointed Director of the FBI in September 1993. During his office, the FBI increased its efforts against white-collar crime, organized crime, terrorism and also expanded the agency to 21 foreign offices. With the introduction of the internet into households, the FBI had to create another division to control cyber crime. It created the Computers Investigations and Infrastructure Threat Assessment Center (CITAC). Between 1993 and 2001 the FBI's budget grew by ore than $1.27…
- 1778 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
Describe the areas (student, professional, citizen, family member, friend, etc.) of your life in which writing plays a major role. Explain.…
- 461 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Being an FBI agent is a difficult task, and grueling occupation, but yet it is respected and can help and protect all people. Not just anyone can become an FBI agent; it takes a lot of hard work, skill, and dedication to accomplish this goal and be able to do this job. The FBI addresses and investigates major crimes where the fugitive has crossed state borders or fled the jurisdiction in the United States. Attorney General Bonaparte first started the FBI in 1908 during the time Theodore Roosevelt was president. When first opened, the FBI actually had no name and was just known as a “special agent force.” The future of what is known today as the FBI was the direct result of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. Progressive was given to the department of justice by creating special agent’s corps and law enforcement was often called a political rather than a professional. During the early period of the FBI’s history, its agents investigated violations of mainly bankruptcy frauds, antitrust crime, and neutrality violation. Also during World War I, the Bureau was given the responsibility of investigating espionage, sabotage, sedition, and draft violations.…
- 472 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“This life of ours, this is a wonderful life. If you can get through life like this and get away with it, hey, that’s great. But it’s very, very unpredictable. There’s so many ways you can screw it up” (“Famous Mob Quotes.” 1). Despite public misconception of the Italian Mafia, it has not always been the murderous, cold-hearted killers known today. The Mafia actually began as a way of protection. When the government took advantage over the common people, the Mafia would take the law into their own hands. The organization simply became too big for its britches and was forced to expand. When social issues arose, the Mafia extended to America and became the sophisticated society seen today. Beginning as small guilds and families in Sicily, Italy,…
- 1045 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), agency of the United States of America department of justice established on July 1, 1973 by President Richard Nixon (his wife came up with the logo “JUST SAY NO”) which signed the Reorganization Plan No 2 on March 28, 1973. The plan proposed the creation of a single federal agency to enforce the federal drug laws as well as consolidate and coordinate the governments drug control activities .Now back in the day there were two groups that were similar to the DEA now a days, this two groups merged together which were Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) and Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) creating the Drug Enforcement Administration. At its outset, the DEA had 1,470 Special Agents and a budget of less than $75 million dollars. Continuing, in 1974, the agency had 43 foreign offices in 31 countries. Today, the DEA has 5,235agents and a budget of more than $2.3 billion dollars and 87 foreign offices in 63 countries. In 1982, concurrent jurisdiction over drug offenses was given to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the DEA. Agents of the two organizations work together on drug law enforcement and DEA’s administrator reports to the director of the FBI.…
- 323 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States Department of Justice law enforcement agency. Their purposes in law enforcement is to stop the sale of illegal drugs, drug trafficking, investigate major crimes within the United States and internationally, and to secure and protect our communities from ever confronting drugs. DEA also cooperates with many major law enforcement agencies such as federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies to stop criminals from smuggling drugs in our neighborhoods and help the people from getting involved with drug substance. Other responsibilities include carrying out missions and responsibilities in investigating major crimes, and detain drug traffickers operations in interstate and international levels. This agency has a headquarters office, and 21 domestic field divisions throughout the United States and its territories, and 86 foreign offices in 62 countries. With a budget exceeding 2.415 billion dollars, the DEA has over 5,500 Special Agents trained for dangerous missions around the globe.…
- 2608 Words
- 11 Pages
Best Essays