Auditors of central government departments have
discovered systemic defects in the running of high-risk government
IT projects, while they were researching a report on successful
schemes.
The results of a year's research, published last week by the
National Audit Office, vindicates Computer Weekly's campaign for
more openness, honesty and accountability on major government IT
projects.
The government has long aimed to improve the way high-risk IT
projects are run, and civil servants have repeatedly assured MPs
that progress is being made. But auditors from the National Audit
Office, who investigated successful IT-based change projects, found
wide-ranging evidence of systemic poor practices in central
government.
Auditors found that government has approved 91 mission-critical
and high-risk IT schemes, despite growing concerns within central
government about a shortage of skills.
The researchers also found that more high-risk and
mission-critical IT programmes are running into warning lights when
assessed as part of Gateway reviews, which take an independent view
of the progress of IT-based projects.
Other findings include evidence of confused responsibilities,
ministers not being briefed by senior responsible owners of
projects, and business cases being written solely as a means of
securing funding, rather than setting out how benefits will be
achieved.
Several of the findings relate to centres of excellence -
separate teams of experts in 35 departments. The centres were set
up as an initiative of the Cabinet to scrutinise projects after
concerns that increased investment in the public sector was not
being matched by improvements in the delivery of IT programmes.
In September 2004, John Oughton, chief executive of the Office
of Government Commerce, reported to the prime minister Tony Blair
that the centres of excellence were making good progress. But the
National Audit Office report shows that 23% of the centres of
excellence did not even receive the results of relevant Gateway
reviews, despite their remit to cover all high-risk and
mission-critical projects.
The National Audit Office also discovered that 45% of audit
committees similarly did not receive the results of Gateway
reviews. Audit committees advise a department's accounting officer
- who reports to parliament on IT schemes - on emerging risks and
whether they can be adequately mitigated.
The report did find evidence of exemplary practices. These were
mostly outside central government, though it singled out two major
IT-based programmes at the Department for Work and Pensions for
praise.
It reported in detail on 24 case studies and listed nine key
questions that departments should have considered and answered "at
the earliest point" in any programme of IT-enabled business
change.
Key questions on delivering IT-enabled
change
The National Audit Office report "Delivering successful
IT-enabled business change" says that nine key questions should be
asked, considered and answered "at the earliest point" by
executives who want to embark on a major programme or project. Some
of the key questions are:
- Beyond immediate technical success, how will wider benefits be
secured?
- How clear is the department about the business process that it
is seeking to change or develop?
- Does the technology exist to deliver the change?
- Is the board able to make informed judgements about the
department's capacity to manage change?
- How will the department establish and promote an open and
constructive relationship with suppliers?
A yardstick for NHS IT?
MP Richard Bacon has written to the health secretary Patricia
Hewitt, putting to her the National Audit Office's nine questions
in relation to the NHS's National Programme for IT.
Bacon said the National Audit Office report "provides a
yardstick against which public sector IT programmes can now be
judged".
He added, "Unfortunately, many of these questions do not appear
to have been asked of the NHS computer upgrade programme."
Read how openness aids success
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