The Success of NOAA’s Next-Generation Satellite System Architecture Depends on Sound Requirements Management Practices

Submitting OIG:

Report Description:

For our final report on our audit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA's) next-generation satellite system architecture, our objective was to assess NOAA's progress planning and implementing this architecture. We found the following: I. NOAA requirements management practices need improvement; and II. NOAA should improve tools in support of observing system portfolio management.

Short / Alternative Report Title:

Date Issued:

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Department of Commerce

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

OIG-22-022-A

Component, if applicable:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Audit

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
OIG-22-022.pdf	862.96 KB

Additional Details Link:

https://www.oig.doc.gov/Pages/The-Success-of-NOAAs-Next-Generation-Satellite-Sys…

Related Open Recommendations

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
1	Open	Yes
We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations update policies and procedures to ensure user observation requirements are validated in advance of next-generation satellite system acquisitions.
4	Open	Yes
We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations assign responsibility and design a process for determining the relative priority of each NOAA user observation requirement.
5	Open	Yes
We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations ensure that the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) standardizes requirement priority definitions for next-generation programs, to include information about the extent to which its programs contribute to meeting NOAA user observation requirements.
6	Open	Yes
We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations ensure that NESDIS revises policies and procedures for assigning requirements to next-generation satellite programs.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

Yes

We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations update policies and procedures to ensure user observation requirements are validated in advance of next-generation satellite system acquisitions.

Open

Yes

We recommend that the NOAA Deputy Under Secretary for Operations assign responsibility and design a process for determining the relative priority of each NOAA user observation requirement.

Open

Yes