DHS Integrated Strategy for High-Risk Management

DHS publishes the Integrated Strategy for High-Risk Management (Integrated Strategy) semi-annually. The Integrated Strategy provides an overview of progress made to address the Strengthening Department of Homeland Security Management Functions area on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High-Risk List. The Integrated Strategy includes goals and corrective action plans that directly address 30 GAO outcomes (i.e., desired end-states of maturation for DHS management functions).  These outcomes were designed to monitor the Department’s progress in strengthening and integrating its acquisition, information technology, financial, and human capital management functions.

The Department has been recognized by GAO as a model for managing High-Risk List issues. As of March 2024, GAO rated DHS as Fully Addressed or Mostly Addressed for 73% (22 of 30) of the outcomes, up from 70% in 2017 and 47% in 2015, demonstrating the Department’s significant progress in strengthening management functions.

In the 2023 High-Risk Series report, GAO informed the Department that the scope of this High-Risk area would be narrowed to “Strengthening DHS Information Technology Security and Financial Management” and focus only on the remaining outcomes in those functional areas.  In previous reports, GAO noted that DHS’s top leaders have continued to demonstrate commitment and support for addressing the department’s management challenges. Moving forward, DHS will continue to build on this progress by continuing to implement the Integrated Strategy and working with GAO to remove the Department’s Information Technology Security and Financial Management functions from the High-Risk List.