GAO Findings
GAO Recommendations
FSA Systems
FSA Goals
Things I should Know
100

According to the GAO, the PPO project did not update the quality section of the BLANK, or related planning documents, to account for actual project results. 

What is the Project Management Plan?

100

The GAO recommends that FSA should ensure that the PPO project determines that contractor BLANK meet the terms of the contract prior to acceptance.

What are deliverables?

100

A modernized loan data system that stores, maintains, and provides reporting capabilities for student, borrower, and partner data.

What is the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)?

100

This draft FSA goal aligns with Executive Order 13985.

What is Advance Equity and Access to Student Financial Assistance?

100

The FSA Contracting Officer's Representative for our contract.

Who is Diona Young?

200

According to the GAO, until the PPO project defines metrics for tracking the BLANK, it risks not monitoring deviations in scope over time and missed opportunities to take corrective actions when necessary. 

What are Baseline Requirements?

200

The GAO recommends that FSA should ensure that the PPO project documents how BLANK meet the business need for the project. 

What are detailed requirements?

200

A modernized system that provides school partners with a central point of access to FSA’s tools and resources to enable management of the Title IV student aid programs.

What is the Partner Participation and Oversight (PPO)?

200

This FSA goal includes an objective to continuously improve systems, structures, and operations to enhance organizational efficiency and performance.

What is Boost Operational Efficiency?

200

Name 6 of the 8 characteristics of underserved communities identified in E.O. 13985.

What are race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability?

300

The GAO found that these did not focus on how FSA can determine if the project is successful and achieving the four PPO project objectives.  

What are Key Performance Indicators?

300

The GAO recommends that FSA should ensure that the PPO project defines specific strategies for engaging with stakeholders and updates its BLANK to reflect new or changed management strategies required to effectively engage stakeholders. 

What is a stakeholder engagement plan?

300

This system enables FSA to automatically receive certain tax information from the IRS through a direct data exchange with applicant approval.

What is the Federal Tax Information Module (FTI-M)? 

300

This draft FSA goal is related to enhancing call center and loan servicing operations.

What is Improve Customer Service and Outcomes for Students and Borrowers?

300

The 6 teams on our project.

What are Schedule Management; Risk, Control, and Audit; Program Coordination; Project Management: Solution Implementation; Project Management: Digital Content; and Communications.

400

The PMBOK® Guide includes these four best practices for effective stakeholder management.

What are identify project stakeholders, plan stakeholder engagement, manage stakeholder engagement, and monitor stakeholder engagement?

400

The GAO recommends that FSA should revise the BLANK for the Next Gen FSA program to incorporate the best practices called for in GAO Schedule Assessment Guide.

What is a schedule estimate?

400

This system is used by Financial Aid Administrators, Servicers, or other officials to perform a variety of functions related to student/award/disbursement data for Pell, Direct Loan and Teach Grant programs. 

What is Common Origination and Disbursement (COD)? 

400

This FSA draft goal relates to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the office.

What is Increase Workforce and Workplace Capabilities?

400

The number of staff on our contract as of today.

What is 33?

500

The GAO Schedule Assessment Guide considers these to be the four characteristics of a high-quality, reliable schedule. 

What are comprehensive, well-constructed, credible, and controlled?

500

In 2019, the GAO recommended that the Education Chief Information Officer document the department’s modernization plans for this system, to include milestones, a description of the work necessary to modernize the system, and details on the disposition of the legacy system. 

What is CPS?

500

Name two out of the four systems being developed through the AED Modernization Contract.

What are the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), FAFSA Partner Portal (FPP), FSA Operations Tool, and Image Data Capture (IDC)?
500

This draft FSA goal relates to protecting students, families, and taxpayers from deceptive, fraudulent, or harmful practices in the student aid marketplace.

What is Strengthen Engagement and Accountability for Educational and Financial Institutions?

500

The 5 workstreams on our project with more than 2 staff.

What are SABER Schedule Management, AED, Product Design Group (PDG), Training, and Marketing and Communications Platform (MCP).