Auditor Issues Annual Oversight Report on FI$Cal Project

The California State Auditor says the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal) deviated from its project schedule and experienced “widespread” turnover in its management team in 2015, according to a status report made public Thursday morning.

The oversight report, which the auditor is required by statute to prepare annually, includes these findings:

• The project has experienced significant deviations in its system implementation schedule and scope such that it is required to develop a new implementation plan through a sixth SPR [Special Project Report].

• The project has not adequately responded to its oversight entities’ concerns and recommendations, many of which have been outstanding for over a year.

• The project continues to report an overly optimistic percentage of completion in its monthly status reports, which are available on the California Department of Technology’s (technology department) website.

• The project experienced widespread turnover in its executive management team during 2015, and its staff vacancy rate remains stagnant.

Read the full report here.

FI$Cal is projected to cost $672 million. State Auditor Elaine Howle expressed similar concerns about FI$Cal in her report one year ago, summarized here.