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Audit finds data governance and legacy systems hinder Fish, Wildlife & Parks IT operations
Summary
Legislative auditors found Fish, Wildlife & Parks lacks agency-wide data governance, faces technical debt from an extensively customized licensing system, and suffers from fragmented business-IT relationships; the agency concurred and is coordinating with the state CIO following an executive order centralizing IT.
Auditors told the Legislative Audit Committee that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) must address three deep-rooted challenges to modernize its information technology: a decentralized approach to data and IT, technical debt from legacy systems, and frequent leadership turnover.
Deborah Stratman, senior IT auditor, said the audit focused on the agency utomated licensing system (ALS), other critical applications and how program managers and IT interact to manage data, security and internal controls. Findings included an absence of an enterprise data governance framework, a reliance on an ALS that was highly customized beyond its original design, and inconsistent internal controls caused by organizational silos.
The audit recommended partnering with the state chief data office to create formal data governance and metadata standards, standing up an IT steering committee and implementing enterprise architecture and application portfolio management to reduce technical debt in an incremental way. FWP Director Christy Clark told the committee the agency concurs with the recommendations, is hiring a new chief of administration to strengthen business-IT alignment and is coordinating with State CIO Kevin Gilbertson on centralization steps from a governor—xecutive order.
Why it matters: FWP manages critical licensing revenue and operations across nearly 93 million acres and depends on reliable data for public services. The audit estimated that poor data management and redundant systems can cost agencies 15—5% of operating budgets and suggested phased changes could save millions over time.
What—omes next: Auditors will monitor implementation. The division noted the governor—xecutive order centralizing IT may change timelines and requires FWP to collaborate closely with SITSD and the state CIO.
