Government IT heads’ ‘gung-ho’ and reckless attitudes to
risk is wasting millions of taxpayer money on over-complex, poorly
tested systems, according to a think-tank study.
Contrary to the stereotype, many public-sector managers have a
‘reckless streak’ and are dazzled by the potential of the
technology, according to the ‘Where next for transformational
government’ report by The Work Foundation.
The report finds that many IT projects suffer from over-complex
design and are rushed out without proper testing and without
following the advice of staff who will use the systems.
“Government should not be about cutting-edge innovation – it
should be about serving citizens well and efficiently,” says
Alexandra Jones, co-author and associate director at The Work
Foundation.
“If someone gets their benefit late due to compute failure, it
matters in a way that it simply doesn’t when private sector ICT
projects fail. The private sector can afford the luxuries of
innovating; in the public sector, ICT needs to work.”