TVA's Capital Projects Approval Process

This review was initiated in follow up to a recent OIG review of TVA's project management software, PowerPlant. During that review, we identified several areas for further analysis related to timely project approvals, delegated approvals, and project charges allocated incorrectly. The objective of this review was to determine if the TVA capital project approval process was (1) efficient and timely, (2) performed in accordance with TVA policies, and (3) aligned with industry best practices.We found that although the overall TVA project approval process was completed in a reasonable time frame, the NPG approval process took 25 days longer than the TVA average. This indicated there were opportunities for improvement in the timeliness of NPG approvals.We found 31 percent of NPG projects reviewed came in more than 25 percent behind the forecasted schedule. While there were also projects that came in ahead of schedule, the degree to which the schedules were being missed indicated there was potential for more accurate planning related to forecasted schedules.We recommended management (1) evaluate the approval process for NPG capital projects to identify opportunities to improve the timeliness of project approvals, and (2) evaluate the planning and forecasting process to identify other areas for improvement.