In 1995, the DoD began an effort to implement a standard departmentwide travel system -- the Defense Travel System (DTS). This testimony focuses on the actions DoD has taken to: (1) implement previous recommendations regarding implementation of DTS and related travel policies; (2) phase out legacy travel systems and their associated costs; and (3) implement electronic travel voucher processing. To address these objectives, the auditor: (1) analyzed specific documentation, such as test documentation, travel policies, and budget data; and (2) interviewed appropriate DoD travel personnel. Charts and tables.

DOD Business Transformation: Status of DOD's Actions on Previous Recommendations for the Defense Travel System

The Department of Defense (DOD) has been working to develop and implement a standard end-to-end travel system for the last 10 years. Over the past several years numerous GAO reports and testimonies have highlighted problems with DOD's travel practices that resulted in wasteful spending of millions of dollars. In response, the department has noted that the Defense Travel System (DTS), in part, will help correct these problems. Because of the widespread congressional interest in DTS, GAO initiated the audit under the statutory authority of the Comptroller General of the United States. The objectives of the audit were to (1) determine if DOD effectively tested key DTS functionality, (2) ascertain if DTS will correct the weaknesses previously identified, (3) identify the challenges that remain, and (4) identify opportunities to streamline DOD's travel process.

The DoD spends billions of dollars each year to maintain key business operations, including systems and processes related to the management of contracts, finances, the supply chain, support infrastructure, and weapon systems acquisition. A number of these areas are vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mis-management and because of opportunities to achieve greater efficiencies and free up resources for higher-priority needs. This study assessed the extent to which DoD has taken steps to: (1) implement management frameworks for business transformation; and (2) develop business transformation plans, supported by a strategic planning process, that enable them to align goals and planning efforts and measure progress. A print on demand report.

DTS's development and implementation have been problematic, especially in the area of requirements and testing key functionality to ensure that the system would perform as intended. Thus, it is not surprising that critical flaws have been identified after deployment, resulting in significant schedule slippages. As originally envisioned, the initial deployment of DTS was to commence within 120 days after the effective date of contract award in September 1998, with complete deployment to approximately 11,000 locations by April 2002. However, that date has been changed to September 2006-a slippage of over 4 years. Our recent analysis of selected requirements for one key area disclosed that system testing was ineffective in ensuring that the promised capability was delivered as intended. For example, we found that DOD did not have reasonable assurance that flight information was properly displayed.3 This problem was not detected prior to deployment since DOD failed to properly test the system interfaces through which the data is accessed. Accordingly, DOD travelers might not have received accurate information on available flights, which could have resulted in higher travel costs. PMO-DTS officials have acknowledged that the problem has existed since the implementation of the system. PMO-DTS officials have indicated that the problem was corrected in an August 2005 release of the software. We are in the process of following up to determine whether the corrective actions have resolved the problem and will include the results in our report that will be issued subsequent to the testimony.

GAO-06-18 DOD Business Transformation: Defense Travel System Continues to Face Implementation Challenges

GAO-05-998T DOD Business Transformation: Preliminary Observations on the Defense Travel System