3900-073 Clean Air Reporting Log (CARL) Redesign

The California Air Resource Board, Mobile Source Control Division, proposes to upgrade the Clean Air Reporting Log (CARL) database in order to improve current functionality and sustainability of the system. Improvements will provide Program with ability to eliminate manual processing of projects not currently supported by CARL, more efficient processing of applications, location based emission reduction projects, less reliance on programming changes to make regular annual updates, add Greenhouse Gas functionality, and provide a technology refresh so that the new system is more secure, less prone to breakdown, and more supportable by programming staff.

Project Details

IPOR Reporting Period	Overall IPOR Rating
10/01/2025 - 10/31/2025	Red

Independent Project Oversight Dashboard

Key Questions

Is the project on track to satisfy the customer's business objectives?No

Is the project on track to achieve the objectives in the approved timeframe?No

Is the project on track to achieve the objectives within the approved budget?No

Project Overall Health

Comments

Red

The Project has several focus areas in Red (Escalated). As a result, the risk to the overall Project Health remains Red. • The Project Steering Committee (PSC) has decided to close out the CARL project and initiate a new effort for the go-forward strategy. • The program has assessed that the original objectives no longer meet the program’s needs, as grant program guidelines and regulations have continued to evolve since the project’s initiation in February 2020. • The SI vendor contract expired on September 13, 2025. The project had remained in a stop-work status and currently lacks functional software to validate the development effort done by the SI vendor fully. • The IPO manager is concerned that the project’s constant resource turnover has led to an inconsistent understanding of project progress and will continue to hinder decision-making. • The IPO Manager will continue to ensure that the project follows mandated guidelines for the project close-out and go-forward strategy.

Focus Area/Rating	Comments
Governance Yellow	The focus area remained Yellow (cautionary) during this reporting period. • The last Executive Steering Meeting was held in May 2025, and the project has not had a regular cadence of these meetings since then, to give project updates. The IPO Manager recommends that, as best practice, projects must establish a cadence for stakeholder updates, ensure clear visibility into project facts and procedural steps for the decision-making body, and flag support needs early to avoid delays. • The IPO manager recommends that the project team execute staffing management best practices in accordance with established standards and guidelines. Provide guidance and training to ensure project team members understand their roles and are empowered to make decisions.
Time Management Red	The focus area remained Red (escalated) during this reporting period. • The project is being closed out and has not met the project objectives within the agreed-upon timelines. • The project has been consistently delayed in making decisions, hindering project progress, leading to inability to meet project milestones and task timelines. • The IPO manager recommends that the Project team evaluate the underlying issues that have influenced the project to discontinue development. This will support the Department/Agency in determining the proper corrective steps and establishing safeguards against future occurrences.
Cost & Contract Management Red	The focus area remained in Red(escalate) during this reporting period. •The SI vendor contract was allowed to expire on September 13, 2025, without any additional action after the stop-work order in May 2025. • The IPO Manager has noted that persistent resource constraints within the CARB contract and procurement team have hindered the project’s ability to secure necessary support and complete the SI vendor contract closeout in a timely manner. • The project has not encumbered the remaining CARL project funds as the project is being closed out.
Scope Management Red	The focus area remained in Red(escalate) during this reporting period. • The SI vendor deliverables did not meet the project objectives/requirements, and the project does not have working software from the development effort so far. • The IPO manager recommends that, in environments where frequent resource turnover may impact continuity and shared understanding, projects must follow best practice in conducting thorough due diligence in clarifying and validating the actual project objectives and product requirements. These requirements must be well-documented to prevent ambiguity during development.
Resources Red	The focus area is in Red(escalate) during this reporting period. • The project is no longer being supported by the Program and SI vendor resources. • The IPO manager has reiterated that the constant resource changes led to inconsistencies in understanding the project progress, instability in team dynamics, and decreased productivity and morale, ultimately affecting the project's progress. • To strengthen team performance, the IPO Manager recommends adopting best practices for resource engagement, leveraging lessons learned to identify knowledge gaps, and directing project teams to appropriate training materials to enhance their effectiveness.
Quality Red	The focus area remained in Red(escalate) during this reporting period. • As there is no working software delivered from the development effort by the SI vendor, evaluation of the quality of project deliverables has been difficult for the project. • The IPO Manager recommended that the Project team document a comprehensive lessons-learned database from this experience, including the challenges, impediments and areas for improvement encountered by all teams, especially the Program team. This will help project teams avoid repeating mistakes and make informed decisions.
Risk And Issues Yellow	The focus area remained Yellow (cautionary) during this reporting period. • The project issued the stop-work order and closed all the open risks and issues. • The IPO Manager continues to recommend the project team perform thorough due diligence on those risks and issues, as the root causes of these issues persist and must be addressed to help improve any future outcomes.
Transition Readiness Green	None
Conditions For Approval Green	None
Corrective Action Green	None

20250626 Release-16