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MIDAS News and Information
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| MIDAS Further Enhanced with Release 2.4 | MIDAS Maintains “Green” OCIO Rating | MIDAS Working with OIG, GAO on Program Improvements |
MIDAS Further Enhanced with Release 2.4; More Improvements on the Horizon
In July 2015, FSA deployed Release 2.4, which resolved defects to provide ongoing improvements to Business Partner and Farm Records system functionality.
Release 2.5 is scheduled for deployment in late September 2015. This release will include Rollover, in which subsidiary and farm-record processing occurs to create records for the next Fiscal Year (FY). It will also allow for farm-level acreages and the ability to create notifications.
Releases 2.6 and 2.7, scheduled for deployment in October and November 2015, respectively, will include defect resolutions to improve Business Partner and Farm Records functionality.
MIDAS Maintains “Green” OCIO Rating
In July 2015, MIDAS received its fifth consecutive monthly “Green” rating from the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), which evaluates all of the Department’s information technology investments to ensure that they are being managed effectively for maximum impact. Green is the highest possible rating, indicating that the program represents a moderate to low risk.
The OCIO Capital Planning and IT Governance Division rates major investments like MIDAS on a monthly basis. All major investments are evaluated using the following criteria:
- Investment Overview and Detail
- Contract /Acquisition Strategy
- Operational Performance
- Risk Management
- Program/Project Management & Project Execution
- Documentation
MIDAS Working with OIG, GAO on Program Improvements
The USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published MIDAS audit reports in May 2015 and June 2015, respectively. Both OIG and GAO acknowledged that FSA had made progress in addressing previously identified challenges with respect to MIDAS’ information technology and program management. FSA is committed to continuing to implement improvements across the Agency, in alignment with OIG and GAO recommendations.
MIDAS Timeline
Release 1: Farm Records (April 2013)
This initial release allows customers to visit any FSA County Office to update farm information, and consolidates land maps and customer information in a single screen. The release also allows FSA to link all farm data, which helps to ensure data accuracy and effective program delivery.
In addition, USDA and FSA web-based systems were integrated, further improving data accuracy while increasing customer privacy and security and reducing the need for multiple data entries.
Release 2: Business Partner (December 2014)
The Business Partner release allows customers to visit any FSA County Office to update their customer information and access eligibility and financial services information. Additionally, the release allows automated validation of names, addresses, multiple customer records, and TIN/IRS numbers to strengthen FSA’s internal controls and help ensure proper payments.
Release 2.1 (May 2015)
Release 2.1 includes functionality to support the 2014 Farm Bill, as well as improvements and updates to Farm Records and geographic information systems (GIS) functionality.
Releases 2.2 and 2.3 (June 2015)
These releases provided specific improvements requested by system end users to the Farm Records and Business Partner functionalities.
Release 2.4 (July 2015)
Release 2.4 resolved some Business Partner and Farm Records system structural defects.
Release 2.5 (scheduled late September 2015)
This release will include Rollover, in which subsidiary and farm-record processing occurs to create records for the next fiscal year. It will also allow the system to accommodate farm-level acreages and the ability to create notifications.
Release 2.6 (scheduled mid-October 2015)
This release will include defect resolutions to improve Business Partner and Farm Records functionality.
Release 2.7 (scheduled mid-November 2015)
This release will build upon Release 2.6 to include additional defect resolutions to Business Partner and Farm Records functionality.
MIDAS Technical Notices
MIDAS has released a series of technical notices which can be viewed online:
- MIDAS Notice 29: Non-FSA Access to Business Partner (PDF, 99 KB)
- MIDAS Notice 30: MIDAS Release 2.0 Business Partner Functionality (PDF, 128 KB)
- MIDAS Notice 35: MIDAS Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Training and Access (PDF, 123 KB)
MIDAS Press
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