The Government has some lessons to learn if its IT roll-outs are to
have more success, writes Mike Simon
Taxpayers are paying a heavy price for the repeated failure of
government IT projects according to a report from Parliament's
Public Accounts Committee.
The publication summarises the lessons of 25 reports on
government IT published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and
the National Audit Office (NAO) over the last decade.
David Davis, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said
project failures in the Government's £7bn-plus IT spend, "have
impaired the ability of public bodies to do their job properly, to
manage and develop their businesses, and to use effectively and
account for public funds for which they are responsible".
Davis also warned "the failure to deliver IT projects
successfully jeopardises the Government's programme of Modernising
Government".
Ian McCartney, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, welcomed
the report and, despite this summer's debacles at the Passport
Office and Immigration Service, said the Government was now
"effectively tackling many of the issues raised".
Tony Blair charged McCartney with heading a comprehensive review
of government IT projects last October. He claimed many of the
project difficulties highlighted by the committee were the fault of
previous Conservative governments.
"Much has been done to straighten past problems," he said,
promising, "This work will be strengthened by the launch of the
Government's first-ever corporate IT strategy in March."
Simons Hughes, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman, whose
parliamentary questions last month led the government to detail
continuing IT delays and cost overruns at the Home Office, was less
confident.
"The Public Accounts Committee members must be weary of exposing
the same problems again and again," said Hughes. "Ian McCartney
says ministers are listening and lessons will be applied. We will
hold him to that pledge."
Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the Association of First
Division Civil Servants, which represents Whitehall's most senior
civil servants, welcomed many of the report's recommendations.
However, he said, "the Public Accounts Committee has cited 25
examples of problems with government IT projects. Given the size,
complexity and sheer volume of public sector IT projects, I don't
believe this represents a worse track record than that of the
private sector".
Baume added, "The poor ethical, consumer care and technical
standards of the IT industry itself are a fundamental part of the
problem."
Politicians, civil servants and the IT industry may not be able
to agree who is to blame for the sorry state of so many government
IT projects, but Baume has a pretty direct line on preventing
future problems.
"The simplest solution to ensure projects come in on time,
within budget, and fully functional must be to refuse to pay any
money to suppliers and manufacturers until this has been shown to
be the case," he said.
Whether politicians or Baume's members in Whitehall's corridors
of power have the guts to suggest such a thing is another
question.
- Improving the delivery of Government IT projects is available
from the Committee of Public Accounts, The Stationery Office,
priced £8
The public Accounts Commitee's key recommendations
Inception and design of projects
- Major IT systems cannot be introduced in isolation. Departments
should analyse and understand fully the implications of new
systems.
- Departments must consider carefully the scale and complexity of
projects to assess whether they are acheivable. Step-by-step
progresion of linked projects will often be a suitable
approach.
- Project specifications should take into account the business
needs of the organisation and the requirements of the user.
Desirable, but not essential, features should be kept out of the
specification.
Managing Projects
- Senior management must ensure there is clarity about the aims
and objectives of major projects and clear criteria against which
success can be judged.
- The development of high quality management skills is
essential.
- Departments must pay attention to the management of risk.
Without contingency plans, departments run the risk of being unable
to deliver services.
Relationships with suppliers
- Contracts between departments and suppliers must be clearly set
out
- Without a good relationship between departments and suppliers
it is unlikely that suppliers will understand the requirements, or
that they will pass this understanding on to the team delivering
the system
- Departments should minimise changes to specifications after
they have signed contracts
Post implementation issues
- Departments should review the success of projects quickly, so
that lessons can be fed back
- Sufficient time and resources should be spent on ensuring staff
can use the IT system