Report 2014-116 Recommendation 18 Responses

Report 2014-116: California Department of Consumer Affairs' BreEZe System: Inadequate Planning and Oversight Led to Implementation at Far Fewer Regulatory Entities at a Significantly Higher Cost (Release Date: February 2015)

Recommendation #18 To: Consumer Affairs, Department of

If Consumer Affairs determines that a new IT project is warranted in the future, it should develop a process to ensure the success of that project that includes, at a minimum, system requirements that are specific to each regulatory entity as applicable.

1-Year Agency Response

The Department, working with the California Department of Technology, will continue to follow all statewide IT policy applicable to the Systems Development Life Cycle. For all future IT projects, the Department has developed a formal policy so that any future IT project will capture and utilize the business/system requirements specific to each regulatory entity in the selection or development of an application. See Attachment 3 for aforementioned policy.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented


6-Month Agency Response

The Department, working with the California Department of Technology, will continue to utilize/follow the Systems Development Life Cycle model/process (the Systems Development Life Cycle model describes the process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system).

For all future IT projects, the Department will capture and utilize the business/system requirements specific to each regulatory entity in the selection or development of an application.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

Until Consumer Affairs develops a formal process to ensure that, at a minimum, it includes system requirements that are specific to each regulatory entity as part of a new IT project in the future, we will not consider this recommendation fully implemented. According to Consumer Affairs, it plans to provide us with a status update on its implementation of this recommendation in its one-year response.


60-Day Agency Response

The Department, working with the California Technology Agency, will continue to utilize/follow the Systems Development Life Cycle process for all future IT projects. The Department will capture and utilize the business/system requirements specific to each regulatory entity in the selection or development of an application.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: No Action Taken

We followed-up with Consumer Affairs on the status of this recommendation as reported in its 60-day response, and learned that it intends on developing a plan that will include activities that address this recommendation after it implements BreEZe at the phase 2 regulatory entities.


All Recommendations in 2014-116

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.