Information Technology: FBI Needs an Enterprise Architecture to Guide Its Modernization Activities

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is in the process of developing a modern information technology (IT) systemâ€"the Trilogy programâ€" that is designed to provide a high-speed network, modern workstations and software, and an applicationâ€"the Virtual Case File (VCF)â€"to enhance the ability of agents to organize, access, and analyze information. Implementation of this system has encountered substantial difficulties, however, and has been the subject of much investigation and congressional concern. To help address these problems, the FBI asked the National Research Council (NRC) to undertake a quick review of the program and the progress that has been made to date. This report presents that review. The current status of four major aspects of the programâ€"the enterprise architecture, system design, program management, and human resourcesâ€"are discussed, and recommendations are presented to address the problems.