Test and Evaluation

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to improve its software acquisition processes and test and evaluation of software-intensive systems, focusing on: (1) how software-related problems affect defense acquisition programs during operational test and evaluation (OT&E); and (2) barriers that limit OT&E effectiveness. GAO found that: (1) DOD software-intensive systems often fail to meet their performance expectations, experience cost overruns and schedule delays, and are not ready for OT&E because they are not subject to rigorous developmental testing and evaluation and software development is often not fully mature when OT&E begins; (2) DOD has not adequately addressed barriers that inhibit software acquisition and OT&E effectiveness; (3) DOD has not adequately addressed the importance of software development, lacks a consistent policy that defines and coordinates software maturity and operational testing readiness, has not adequately defined and managed software requirements, and lacks reliable cost, schedule, and performance data; (4) DOD has not implemented previous recommendations to ensure that quality software is adequately developed and tested and software-intensive systems are effective; (5) although the military services have tried to improve their software development processes, they lack a DOD-wide coordinated strategy; and (6) the creation of a single executive-level office for software development and testing would help to resolve long-standing software problems.