FBI System Modernization FaultedFBI System Modernization Faulted

"We agree that the path forward must be realistic, achievable, and satisfactory to those who use the system," Lockheed said in a statement. "Together with the FBI, we are taking a measured and phased approach to development that allows us to actively seek, address, and incorporate user feedback as we incrementally deliver new system capabilities."

The FBI, meanwhile, noted in a statement that it had taken action to resolve recommendations made in five previous audits, including the most recent audit last November, and that the processes behind Sentinel are continuing to improve. "The FBI has learned from its previous challenges and has incorporated industry best practices, strong management controls, independent verification and validation, and user testing to ensure the highest quality system is developed," the statement says.

According to a source close to the Sentinel effort, Lockheed and the FBI have recently tweaked some process controls to ensure work better meets the FBI's needs and requirements. For example, rather than having separate individuals representing the FBI sign off on the project's progress at different points, the FBI has appointed a single individual responsible for signing off at all junctures. Lockheed has also begun using detailed checklists in some areas where it previously hadn't in order to ensure that it is consistently reviewing everything on the list rather than relying partially on its own best judgment to ascertain whether certain goals have been met.

In addition to feature-specific complaints, the inspector general report raised questions about the FBI's staffing and oversight of the project. Monthly performance management reports furnished by Sentinel project management to the FBI, Department of Justice, and inspector general are running a month late, and the FBI has replaced monthly program health assessments with quarterly assessments. The report also questions whether the Sentinel project is fully staffed for adequate user help and raises flags about Sentinel's high turnover rate (26% between December 2008 and October 2009 alone).

"It's terribly frustrating that we're in this position again," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement last week after learning of the most recent delays. "This is the third go at modernizing the FBI's computer system and hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted. I plan to hold the FBI's feet to the fire until this project is back on track and completed."

Despite the delays and excoriations from both Grassley and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., FBI and Lockheed are quick to point out that approximately 80% of Sentinel's final infrastructure has been deployed (though less of its final functionality), and that a number of its individual elements are already being used by FBI agents and employees.

Originally, Sentinel was slated to be fully complete by December 2009. Still left for Lockheed and the FBI to deploy include a fuller data migration from ACS, certain forms and records management capabilities, some back-end interface work, and additional search, reporting, and alerting capabilities.

Lockheed and the FBI are currently working on a revised schedule and budget for the rest of Sentinel, but admitted to the inspector general that the new estimate would likely exceed the already-revised $451 million total budget for the project, and that Sentinel is now not likely to be completed until sometime during 2011. In a statement, the FBI said that it would have a new schedule for completion of the rest of the project ready "soon."