NCSW-01

NIEHS will maintain a well-characterized inventory of non-commodity software systems and their interdependencies. The inventory will provide the data needed to develop strategy-enabling analysis of needs, facilitating prediction of future needs, identifying areas of overlap, enabling better acquisition planning, and facilitating communication around change control. System success will be determined when it is editable by a key set of system owners and representatives, is regularly updated (once per year with business owners), has a specific champion or owner named for each tool, a comprehensive list of custom applications and the programs needed to support them, and once the required set of fields is established and 90 percent are complete.

NCSW-02

NIEHS will develop application profiles that map to the business owner, as well as the functional capabilities and mission domains. Adding functional capabilities and mission domain fields to the inventory will allow the institute to create a comprehensive management structure for the entire inventory, and know that nothing has been lost and everything can be included in an appropriate roadmap for budgeting. Success will be determined when each application is assigned to a domain area for tracking and budgeting. Budgets and contracts will include all applications assigned to a domain (i.e., no orphans).

NCSW-03

NIEHS will review the non-commodity software inventory regularly to assess compliance with approved architecture and update or retire applications that do not conform. Review will ensure that systems are secure and conform to the architecture. In turn, this will assure that the institute maximizes the capacity of the infrastructure while monitoring costs. Success will be understood by domain area leader satisfaction and when outdated and nonconforming applications are retired.

NCSW-04

NIEHS will decide what, if any, non-commodity software inventory information is made available on the Junction. Non-commodity software inventory information review will assure that content is accurate and that access to protected information is controlled. Success will be understood with inventory and content updates and removal of inappropriate information from the Junction.

NCSW-05

NIEHS will establish and maintain application guidelines that provide appropriate constraints for what programming languages, platforms, application servers, and versions are used for non-commodity software development. Guidelines will prevent any disallowed uses, while maintaining as much flexibility as possible. Lack of guidance creates vulnerabilities, inconsistencies, and unevenly administered policies. Guidance will help avoid unexpected costs and downtimes (e.g., Cold Fusion 7 upgrades). Success will be understood with a central repository that is easily accessible, distributed to contractors, and updated as needed. NIEHS will develop use cases of significant contracts or activities that use the guidelines. Guidelines are nonexistent at the institute level, although they are frequently set at the contract or project level.

NCSW-06

NIEHS will provide training and education for researchers and developers on best practices for developing open-source software. Training will enhance consistency and security. Success will be understood by training on open-source software each year, positive training participant surveys, and elimination of inappropriate software cases.

NCSW-07

NIEHS will establish an ongoing group to support non-commodity software goals and priorities. The institute will develop the ability to plan for its future application environment. To address this, a group needs to be established (or an existing group assigned) to lead institute partners in implementing lifecycle strategy, guidelines, and best practices that will drive an optimized non-commodity software environment. Success will be understood as a group exists and is effective.

NCSW-08

NIEHS will ensure that non-commodity software development projects include appropriate levels of federal project management. Project management assures accountability and project completion. The institute Project Management Office (PMO) will manage this as it gets up and running. Success will be understood by improved management and user satisfaction.

NCSW-09

NIEHS will continue to develop a solution delivery organization and process to assist application owners with end-to-end understanding and solutions for their requirements. Right-size project management will be used to maximize successful projects and customer satisfaction. Success will be understood as projects are completed on time, on schedule, and within budget, and customers get what they need.

NCSW-10

NIEHS will develop a three-year plan for needed enterprise architecture changes in coordination with the Information Technology Architectural Review Group (ITARG). Planning will help create standard parameters to prioritize non-commodity software development and coordinate enterprise architecture to adapt to changing needs. Success will be understood as a plan is developed and standard parameters to prioritize non-commodity software development exist.

NCSW-11

NIEHS will create a three-year non-commodity software requirement roadmap for each domain. Roadmaps will include broad requirements and expected costs for development, operations, and retirement and will inform budget and help set realistic expectations. Details will be critical for setting priorities within and across domains. Success will be understood as each domain area has a leader who submits priorities and provides a high-level plan for each domain, and as all software items are represented in domain roadmaps.

NCSW-12

NIEHS will facilitate discussions of application transition and adoption as part of planning processes. This planning will help address why systems are developed but not adopted. Success will be understood as the PMO facilitates these kinds of discussions at the outset of projects.

NCSW-13

NIEHS will establish procedures and opportunities to elaborate needs and system requirements so they are serving needs of the users and stakeholders. Too many tools are developed that do not meet user needs and are perceived to be a waste of resources. Sometimes, these are duplicative of other efforts. Success will be understood as the PMO and solution delivery organization are facilitating these kinds of discussions at the outset of projects.

NCSW-14

NIEHS will communicate non-commodity software policies, procedures, events, and deadlines clearly to the entire community. Lack of transparency slows productivity and fosters inconsistency. Success will be understood as updates on application development guidelines, patching schedules, availability of new servers, and contact information are updated regularly in plain language. Opportunities for multidirectional communication are evident. Both pull-and-push communication methods are used.

NCSW-15

NIEHS will improve onboarding and startup for non-commodity software contractors (e.g., create new onboarding SOPs and default images). Non-commodity software staff, and especially new contractors, experience delays in getting new computers, servers, and authorizations, and this incurs hidden costs. Success will be understood as new default images are created for contractor machines that include the most common development tools to support non-commodity software activity and as SOPs for onboarding contractors are improved.

NCSW-16

NIEHS will develop hardware standards and default images for widely used development stacks, and a process to identify standards for optimal performance. Standards will set appropriate expectations for hardware performance and inform strategic planning for hardware purchases and capacity. Success will be understood as regular discussions about software dependencies on hardware occur, hardware standards and software images are available and installed, and standards for optimal performance are circulated.

NCSW-17

NIEHS will analyze policies and procedures for gaps and inconsistencies and create a process for approval of non-commodity software. Procedures are needed to ensure a coordinated, flexible, and interactive environment that operates smoothly and efficiently. Success will be understood as no (or minimal) surprises for business teams and I&IT providers.