Work-Life Programs

General Services Administration/ Telework Technology Cost Study

Project Description

The General Services Administration (GSA) commissioned this Telework Technology Cost Study to:

• Investigate potential cost impacts to Federal agencies of information technology (IT) infrastructure expansion to accommodate increased home-based telework
• Identify technologies needed to support widespread telework deployment, and
• Provide guidance to Federal organizations in justifying IT infrastructure expansion to support their telework programs.

The study found that Federal organizations generally have some of the necessary elements of IT infrastructure in place to support limited levels of telework, but they lack strategies for IT support of widespread telework and for including telework considerations in agency investment planning or technology enhancement initiatives.  Although closing the gap and providing a robust telework infrastructure will require careful planning and investment of agency resources, the potential benefits are both far-reaching and cost beneficial.  Appropriate top level support, program management, capital planning, coordination with other agency initiatives, and full consideration of telework value are necessary to realize the full potential value of agency infrastructure improvements.  Cost must be considered, and this study provides information needed to support infrastructure improvement initiatives.

Intended or Achieved Results

The Booz Allen Team completed this study in a shorter timeframe than originally requested by the client, successfully completing all project tasks on time and within budget, while consistently maintaining an exceptional standard of quality.  Booz Allen proactively addressed the challenge of securing the participation of 16 Federal Departments and Agencies through careful strategy and meticulous organization, communication, and scheduling.  Ultimately, we were successful in coordinating the participation of these organizations, resulting in a study sample that is representative of the entire Federal Government.  Furthermore, the Booz Allen team anticipated a considerable challenge of receiving adequate responses to the study’s survey, which was administered during the Thanksgiving holiday season.  The team mitigated this challenge by applying survey best practices such as: targeted communications, multiple reminders, and extension of the survey administration period, and ultimately achieved an outstanding average response rate of 50 percent for teleworkers and 38 percent for managers of teleworkers.  Throughout this study, Booz Allen worked closely with our client to arrive at a common understanding of the overall objectives.  We leveraged both tactical goals at each phase of the study and ongoing progress checks to ensure those objectives were ultimately met to the client’s satisfaction.  In short, Booz Allen’s performance on this project exemplifies our consistent vigilance in maintaining on-time, on-budget project performance, leveraging our expertise to mitigate potential challenges, and to faithfully plan and carry out project activities that achieve our clients’ objectives.