Laila Alawi Travis Lytle Vincent Gould Lauren McAdoo FBI VIRTUAL CASE FILE Team Case Research Presentation INFS 6510 Dr. Melinda Korzaan 12/5/2018 Laila Alawi Travis Lytle Vincent Gould Lauren McAdoo

FBI Virtual Case File September 2000 The Trilogy Project Modernize desktop computers Develop secure high-performance networks Replace the Automated Case Support (ACS) software system In September 2000 the FBI announces the Trilogy program which had 3 objectives Modernize desktop computers Develop secure high-performance networks Replace the Automated Case Support (ACS) software system Congress allocated $379.8 million to complete the Trilogy project in 3 years. The first two objectives were completed successfully in April 2004. The FBI Virtual Case File project was begun to accomplish the third objective

Automated Case Support (ACS) System The ACS was used to: Store documents related to cases Allow agents to analyze evidence between different cases The Automated Case Support Software System was used by the FBI to  Store documents related to cases Allow agents to analyze evidence between different cases

Project Motivation The ACS was an outdated system made of many separate applications that were difficult to use: Programming language: Natural Database: ADABAS Interface: IBM 3270 terminals (Green Screen) The ACS was an outdated system that was made up of many separate applications that were difficult to use: Programming language: Natural Database: ADABAS Interface: IBM 3270 terminals (Green Screen) The above were developed in the 1970s and were considered obsolete in 2000 Without an effective case management system the FBI could not identify and capitalize on all of the information in its possession – necessary to stop future terrorist attacks.

Virtual Case File (VCF) The new Virtual Case File (VCF) system would allow users to: Directly input case information instead of scanning and uploading files Receive electronic approvals Share data with agents, analysts, other federal employees, and state and local officials The VCF was designed to improve the FBI’s ability to manage investigative case files, facilitate data and document searches, and share information within and among FBI offices. The need for a new automated investigative case management system to replace the existing obsolete and limited ACS system was vital to the FBI’s ability to perform its mission effectively.

Key stakeholders FBI Agents & Agency Officers. Department of Justice. United States Congress. Governments Accountability Office (GAO). Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) contractors. American Taxpayers.

Funding and timeline The imminent failure point 12/2001 Funding and Timeline of Events (Adapted from Goldstein, 2005)

 Early Warning Signs December 2001 massive scope change and project deadline moved up. Contracts did not contain success criteria, project schedules or milestones Requirements finalized June 2002 5 CIOs in 4 years. All of these early warning signs can be summed up into 3 key factors that led to project Failure Poor Planning and lack of experienced people. No project deadlines Undefined Leadership  The initial project scope was to add a web interface to replace the green screens.  Prompted by the Sept 11th attacks, in December 2001, the scope of VCF was changed with the goal being complete replacement of all previous applications and migration of the existing data into an Oracle database. Additionally, the project's deadline was pushed up to December 2003.  At this time the FBI did not have complete requirements for the project. neither the original software contract nor the modified one specified any formal criteria for the FBI to use to accept or reject the finished VCF software, as the Inspector General reported earlier this year. Furthermore, those contracts specified no formal project schedules at all, let alone milestones that SAIC and DynCorp were contractually obligated to meet on the way to final delivery Although requirements were officially finalized in June 2002, changes to the system continued at the rate of more than one per day.  roughly 400 from December 2002 to December 2003 Leadership changes – there were 5 CIOs in 4 years

Scope Creep Identify scope creep by comparing original contract, project, charter, and change orders with the current scope defined in the functional and test specifications. Internal scope Creep – The project team and  management should have stuck with the initial scope. A recovery manager or someone most qualified for the job should have been put in place.

Actions would have made the Project Successful Balance between ambition and available resources. Few programmers and a flexible coding system. Scope change control process would have been used. An experienced project manager could have been hired. Appointed few people to avoid confusions. Discussed the requirements with the internal FBI members before made contracts with SAIC.

Risk Management plan or reasons why there wasn’t one Lack of numerous system engineering practices No stakeholder requirements  No system requirements No extensive planning No assessment and control NO RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS  Would take too much time Political pressures following the 9/11 attacks Schedule was accelerated 

Lessons Learned No S.M.A.R.T. goals and goal were too ambitious/complex No clear set of requirements Overlooking problems that arise No good communication channel so limited communication overall Lack of an organization structure and system to follow  Rushed schedule 

Recommendations Clear goal that can be attained Better defined and evolving design requirements   Realistic scheduling of tasks   Problems fixed or looked into immediately  Better adequate project integration   Better resolution of issues raised   Entire project team move expeditiously with accuracy   Accountability on all involved individuals   Contracting and contractors stronger  IT investment management stronger  Enterprise Architecture present   Management continuity and oversight  

Conclusion In January 2002, the FBI requested an additional $70 million to accelerate Trilogy because of 9/11 attacks and Congress approved $78 million  Funding was never the problem  VCF was intended on being a system that contained a major new application, database, and graphical user interface  Project was abandoned in 2005 after over $170 million had been spent  Outcome was a product consisting of over 700,000 lines of code that didn't match the requirements originally laid out  Sentinel was put on line for all employees on July 1, 2012, and it ended up at $451 million and 2.5 years overdue  

References C. (2017, June 20). The FBI Virtual Case File System. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/fbi-virtual-case-file-system/ Dreitlein, S., Manzoni, J., Selvaratnam, B. M. A., & Valendra, K. (2017). Analysis of the failed FBI virtual case file project. Journal of Information Technology and Economic Development, 8(1), 25-32. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1935253885?accountid=4886 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s information technology modernization program, Trilogy : hearing before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Ninth Congress, first session, special hearing, February 3, 2005, Washington, DC. (2005). Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Information Technology Modernization Program, Trilogy : Hearing before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Ninth Congress, First Session, Special Hearing, February 3, 2005, Washington, DC, i. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.cbhear.cbhearings91424.2&site=eds- live&scope=site Lamore, M. (2016, November 20). Lessons from the Virtual Case File Project. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://proto.ink/2015/03/11/lessons-from-the-virtual- case-file-project-2/ Rosencrance, Linda. “FBI Scuttles $170M System For Managing Investigations.” Computerworld, vol. 39, no. 11, Mar. 2005, p. 14. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=16407768&site=eds-live&scope=site. S. (2018, October 16). Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Virtual Case File System. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.sebokwiki.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation_(FBI)_Virtual_Case_File_System Who killed the virtual case file? [case management software]. (2005). IEEE Spectrum, Spectrum, IEEE, IEEE Spectr, (9), 24. https://doi- org.ezproxy.mtsu.edu/10.1109/MSPEC.2005.1502526