There are systemic problems in the management of Whitehall IT
projects, according to MP Richard Bacon, a member of the
influential House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
Bacon, a former investment banker at Barclays de Zoete Wedd, was
speaking at the E-Government UK conference chaired by Computer
Weekly at the Queen Elizabeth Centre in London last week.
He described weaknesses in the accountability to Parliament of
civil service mandarins. "Judging by what I have seen, in terms of
witnesses appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, one might
be forgiven for thinking that the main skill required to get to the
top rank of the civil service is an ability to explain fluently why
something which looks for all the world like a total 'Horlicks' is,
in fact, nothing of the kind, but the best that could reasonably
have been hoped for in the exceptionally difficult set of
circumstances with which the department was confronted," Bacon
said.
He also criticised the way the civil service moves people around.
"This is inherent in its culture, and is fundamentally at odds with
successful project management," he added.
Bacon said that in August 1994 the Cabinet Office published a
report which said that to maximise ownership and accountability the
same individual, where possible, will often see a project through
from inception to implementation.
Five months later the Home Office let the prime contract for the
National Probation Service information systems strategy, which went
on to have seven programme directors in as many years.
"You might have thought that anyone could have worked out that
seven programme directors in seven years was a recipe for disaster
- but at no point, apparently, did leaving the same skilled person
in place in order to manage the project through assume a high
enough priority," said Bacon.
The Cabinet Office now urges departments to have a single
responsible owner on major projects but its guidance cannot be
enforced.
"I do welcome the recent introduction of senior responsible owners
in departments for each major IT project, who are to take
responsibility for ensuring that the project meets its objectives
and delivers its intended benefits," he said.
"This, however, does not alter the fact that running a project is
not 'sexy' compared to policy-making.
"Until running a significant project successfully becomes an
essential component of a top management career there will be reason
to remain sceptical," Bacon said.