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Krista Beenhouwer is part of the MITRE
team working with the IRS to develop a more effective investment
decision management processes.
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MITRE Supports the IRS Modernization Program
Krista Beenhouwer
July 2001
Enhancing our nation's revenue collection systems
Faced with collecting $2 trillion in annual revenues using an aging
system of computers developed over the past 35 years, the IRS has
undertaken a critical modernization program. This program will enable
the IRS to efficiently and effectively provide taxpayers with the
services they need. MITRE supports the IRS's modernization program
in a broad variety of ways, from strategic planning to technical
analyses.
MITRE has been working closely with the IRS to develop more effective
investment decision management processes and to integrate these
with its life cycle processes. As team member Krista Beenhouwer,
an Economic Business Analyst at MITRE, describes it, "We've
been looking at best practices in managing numerous multimillion
dollar projects; at how the projects impact each other; and at how
the IRS should select projects, prioritize activities and balance
funding.
"I've been working on this project since I came to MITRE
in 1999," continues Beenhouwer. "It's a complex project
that requires a lot of collaboration and coordination between the
government contractors, and the IRS's Federally Funded Research
and Development Center at MITRE. It's a great feeling to be able
to work through all the different issues and come up with a solution
that works for everyone in the end.
"Shortly after joining MITRE, I started working on the team
developing a process for the government and contractors to develop
business cases—that is how the IRS selects projects. Once
we established this new process, we've continued to refine it using
the lessons we learned along the way.
"I really like this project because I see there is a lot
of room to improve things for the taxpayer," says Beenhouwer.
The first new IRS system to be developed and deployed in 2001 will
be the Customer Communications System, which will allow the IRS
to answer more of the 150 million phone calls it receives each year.
Another upcoming project is improving e-services to taxpayers.
"I think it's great that the IRS is starting to envision
the taxpayer as the customer and that they are there to help them.
I think it will make the tax administration process easier and more
effective," she adds. "When all is said and done, I think
people will have a better opinion of the IRS."
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