Watchdog knocks FAA tracking of tech spending

The Government Accountability Office said the FAA's approach to a process called "earned value management" is not rigorous enough. That means the agency is at risk of missing the early warning signs of schedule delays and cost overruns, the GAO concluded.

The FAA is in the midst of spending $2 billion on technology, including some aimed at modernizing its air traffic control system.

The GAO said FAA has fully met seven criteria for implementing earned value management, but has only partially met three others.

Earned value management is a project management technique that aims to objectively measure performance and progress.

The GAO said FAA reported that 74 percent of its programs complied with national standards. The GAO said FAA's assessments are not thorough enough to catch problems.