Audit of the information and communications strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model - Internal audit division report 2020/056

Sep 11, 2026

The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) conducted an internal audit of the information and communications technology (ICT) strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model (TOM) within the Office of Investment Management of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. The audit assessed governance, risk management, and control processes for the ICT strategy from January 2017 to October 2020, covering ICT strategy, governance mechanisms, programme and project management, and procurement planning and contract management. OIM was required to strengthen ICT governance and related management practices, supported by 11 recommendations, and had initiated actions to address the findings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Audit objective, scope and methodology

Audit results

ICT strategy

ICT governance

Programme and project management

Procurement planning and contract management

Acknowledgement

Annex and appendices

Status of audit recommendations

Management response

INTERNAL AUDIT DIVISION REPORT 2020/056 Audit of the information and communications strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model in the Office of Investment Management of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund Governance mechanisms and practices relating to management of the information and communications technology programme need to be strengthened 17 December 2020 Assignment No. AT2020-801-02 Audit of the information and communications strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model in the Office of Investment Management of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) conducted an audit of the information and communications technology (ICT) strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model in the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) . The objective of the audit was to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of governance, risk management and control processes over the ICT strategy and implementation of the Target Operating Model in OIM. The audit covered the period from January 2017 to October 2020 and included a review of relevant risk areas which included: (i) the ICT strategy; (ii) ICT governance mechanisms; (c) programme and project management; and (iv) procurement planning and contract management. The audit indicated that OIM needs to strengthen the governance mechanisms and practices relating to management of the ICT programme. OIOS made 11 recommendations. To address the issues identified in the audit, OIM needed to: • Periodically update its ICT strategy document and apply version control for the Target Operating Model to enable effective monitoring of their implementation ; • Strengthen ICT governance mechanisms and project management by expanding the scope of the Programme Management Office and Change Advisory Board to all OIM projects and initiatives with an ICT component; • Strengthen ICT governance by: increasing the awareness of the ICT Steering Committee members about their responsibility for the ICT strategy and Target Operating Model; empowering project managers and project boards to make decisions on issues that do not require escalation to the ICT Steering Committee; and allocating subjects such as information security, crisis management and business continuity to sub-committees ofthe ICT Steering Committee; • Ensure that its implementation of data governance, data warehouse and data quality operations are aligned to the United Nations system-wide data strategy; • Document and periodically update a detailed resource plan for its ICT projects identifying the internal and external resources required for successful implementation of the Target Operating Model, as well as forecasts to mitigate the impact of any shortfall in resources; • Strengthen its project management practices by maintaining a risk register, preparing appropriate risk responses, and empowering project managers to manage project risks within their authority ; • Strengthen its project management practices by consistently using the appropriate templates for all projects and initiatives with an ICT component; • Establish a consistent procedure to identify a change, initiative or project, depending on its materiality and nature, as well as the process for their review and approval ; • Address the weaknesses in its internal processes relating to procurement and implement appropriate measures to improve its efficiency and effectiveness; • Improve the quality and management of task orders ; and • Strengthen contract management by effective monitoring, comparing deliverables against targets, and providing timely feedback on vendor performance. OIM accepted the recommendations and has initiated action to implement them. CONTENTS I. BACKGROUND 1 II. AUDIT OBJECTIVE, SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY 1-2 III. AUDIT RESULTS 2-10 A. ICT strategy 2 B. ICT go

FAQs

What was the audit aimed at evaluating?

The audit assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of governance, risk management, and control processes over the ICT strategy and the implementation of the Target Operating Model in OIM.

Which time period and subject areas did the audit cover?

It covered January 2017 to October 2020 and reviewed areas including the ICT strategy, ICT governance mechanisms, programme and project management, and procurement planning and contract management.

What main improvements were recommended for OIM?

OIM needed to strengthen ICT governance mechanisms and practices, including updating ICT strategy with version control, expanding programme management coverage, improving project management and templates, and enhancing procurement and contract management.

Sep 11, 2026

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