Government departments are dipping in and out of the
Gateway review process, according to a study by the National Audit
Office published last week.
Of the 62 projects considered ready for service by the Gateway
process, only eight have been tested on whether the expected
project benefits have been realised.
"If low numbers of projects complete the final gate and the extent
to which they deliver their intended benefits is not evaluated,
departments will have limited information on their success and
whether they were delivered as planned," the report said.
The first Gateway review a programme or project undergoes may not
be at the first gate of the project lifecycle, although this is
strongly recommended by the Office of Government Commerce, the NAO
report said.
It found that to 31 March 2004, half of all Gateway reviews were
undertaken at Gates 2 or 3. A high proportion of these reviews were
undertaken for the first time: 63% of those at Gate 2 and 41% of
those at Gate 3.
The NAO said there was evidence that the Gateway review process was
improving the procurement of IT and that this would increase the
likelihood of successful delivery.
However, the report added, "A major risk, however, is that projects
are entering the process too late - that is at Gate 2 and 3
(crucially, after the business case has been prepared), and exiting
the process too early - that is before Gate 5."
Gateway stages
There are six stages to the Office of Government Commerce's Gateway
review process:
Gate 0: Strategic assessment
Gate 1: Business justification
Gate 2: Procurement strategy
Gate 3: Investment decision
Gate 4: Readiness for service
Gate 5: Benefits evaluation
Other National Audit Office initiatives include the creation of
centres of excellence, a successful delivery toolkit and a skills
programme and project management specialism for civil servants.