http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/ Against the Current: Exploring challenges involved in IT-based projects en Copyright 2008 Thu, 15 May 2008 12:14:00 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Birmingham City Council - Europe's largest local authority with a £3bn annual turnover - has had an "approvals day" to try and clear a backlog of about 10,000 unpaid invoices from its suppliers. The invoices were "struck" in a SAP-based financial system, more than six months after going live. The council said this week [May 2008] it had cleared a backlog of invoices which built up when it implemented its "Voyager" system in October 2007 - but its spokesman added that this led to a build-up of unpaid invoices "further along in the payments system". The council set aside 13 May 2008 as an "Approvals Day" to clear backlogs and "identify and permanently eradicate any remaining payment issues that still exist". A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said today (15 May 2008): "A total of 2,000 invoices were cleared as a result of Approvals Day on May 13. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/councils-unpaid-invoices-6-mon.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/councils-unpaid-invoices-6-mon.html it projects over-optimism learning lessons programme management project management sap transformational government Thu, 15 May 2008 12:14:00 +0000 Electronic Passport Application system, known as EPA2. ]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/identity-and-passport-service-2.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/identity-and-passport-service-2.html accountability and transparency EPA2 good and bad communications government Identity and Passport Service IPS it project success learning lessons it projects openness project management transformational government Tue, 13 May 2008 09:24:00 +0000 The IT head of an NHS health authority has suggested that CSC's contracts under the National Programme for IT [NPfIT] - may be extended, which would extend the programme itself. If it happens, it could signal an intention of Whitehall officials to keep extending contracts to local service providers in the hope the NPfIT can be seen to succeed at some point. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/cscs-3bn-npfit-contracts-to-be.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/cscs-3bn-npfit-contracts-to-be.html npfit contract reset crisis management csc electronic patient records EPR IBA Health isoft IT projects it projects over-optimism lorenzo outsourcing project management scope creep summary care record Tue, 13 May 2008 06:30:00 +0000 Matthew Swindells is expected to give the NHS more flexibility to implement interim solutions where products from local service providers are not available or not fit for purpose. He has also told his board that a contract reset with CSC, one of three main suppliers to the National Programme for IT, was due to be signed by 6 May 2008. ]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/swindells-npfit-review-more-fl.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/swindells-npfit-review-more-fl.html npfit care records service contract reset csc government it isoft lorenzo npfit programme management project management swindells review Tue, 13 May 2008 06:28:00 +0000 control the language and information on the NHS’s National Programme for IT [NPfIT], but the laws of Nature are, at times, pitched against them: The Sun has begun to take an interest in the scheme. Following on from its article on the implementation of the Care Records Service at Barts and the London NHS Trust, The Sun has reported on a potential security breach with the “Choose and Book” system – part of the NPfIT - at a GP practice at Essex; and it has an editorial under the headline “Data Dunces”.]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/the-sun-reports-on-potential-s-1.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/the-sun-reports-on-potential-s-1.html npfit choose and book government it it security npfit project management smartcard sharing transformational government Mon, 12 May 2008 13:02:10 +0000 report [2MB] published last week on the summary care record [SCR] early adopter sites by researchers at University College, London, raises questions about whether the scheme will work. It found that primary care trusts whose boards decided to become early adopters of the SCR – which is part of the National Programme for IT [NPfIT] - have had extra staff and financial help: CfH gave between £100,000 and £200,000 to each early adopter site for "set up" costs. The early adopter programme was also buoyed by strong initial enthusiasm among NHS staff. Yet still there have been significant problems. So where does that leave the majority of England’s primary care trusts that won’t have the extra money and people, and perhaps won’t have the enthusiasm of the early adopters of the SCR?]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/is-npfit-summary-care-record-p-1.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/is-npfit-summary-care-record-p-1.html care records service it and politics it project complacency not learning lessons npfit over-optimism project management scr Mon, 12 May 2008 11:38:00 +0000 The NHS's National Programme for IT [NPfIT] has taken a different direction with NHS trusts being given a choice of a range of systems from various suppliers - which they were able to do before the advent of the NPfIT in 2002. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/npfit-back-to-choice-of-suppli-1.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/npfit-back-to-choice-of-suppli-1.html npfit ascc cerner electronic patient records framework contracts isoft lorenzo nao npfit summary care record Wed, 07 May 2008 11:40:00 +0000 Comment and analysis A study published this week into the summary care record – a pivotal part of the £12.4bn NHS’s National Programme for IT [NPfIT] – raises questions about the underlying assumptions behind the scheme, and highlights flaws in the organisation which runs it. And Computer Weekly has learned that significant changes were made between a draft report by researchers at University College, London, and the approved final report. The final report softens or omits some of criticisms of the government and NHS Connecting for Health [CfH], which runs much of the NPfIT. Even so the final report is enlightening, comprehensive and authoritative. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/is-cfh-in-a-good-position-to-o.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/is-cfh-in-a-good-position-to-o.html npfit accountability and transparency government spin it project over-optimism it projects learning lessons npfit openness programme management summary care record Wed, 07 May 2008 10:41:00 +0000 Connecting for Health, which runs much of the NHS’s £12.4bn National Programme for IT [NPfIT], is expected to be criticised in a government-funded report into "early-adopters" of online health records. A year-long study, the results of which are due to be published next week, is also expected to highlight criticisms of the government by some executives at NHS Connecting for Health [CfH]. The government wanted CfH to implement online health records quickly because of the high political profile of the scheme. This was despite the difficulties gaining support from clinicians, achieving the necessary changes within NHS organisations, and the technology being unproven. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/whitehall-pushed-immature-tech.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/whitehall-pushed-immature-tech.html npfit change management electronic health records EPR it projects learning lessons npfit project management summary care record Sun, 04 May 2008 09:00:00 +0000 Whitehall officials have allowed only two weeks for people to apply for two top IT jobs in government – each offering salaries of at least £200,000. The jobs were advertised on 13 April and the deadlines have passed. Some of those who were interested in the adverts say that two weeks is not enough time to prepare for applications that require comments to be made on a list of difficult questions. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/top-whitehall-200k-it-jobs-hop-1.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/05/top-whitehall-200k-it-jobs-hop-1.html npfit cfh cio connecting for health government IT it project over-optimism npfit programme management Thu, 01 May 2008 16:15:00 +0000 Sir Ian Carruthers, who is a former acting Chief Executive of the NHS, a senior responsible owner of the NPfIT and now Chief Executive of the South West Strategic Health Authority - a European director of Fujitsu - A director from Fujitsu’s headquarters in Japan As a result Fujitsu has made significant concessions – a revised financial offer – and the NHS would have to pay tens of millions of pounds, not hundreds of millions, to keep Fujitsu in the National Programme for IT [NPfIT]. The figures being discussed are not dissimilar to the £55m extra paid to BT as part of its contract reset.]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/fujitsu-makes-revised-offer-on.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/fujitsu-makes-revised-offer-on.html npfit cerner contract reset fujitsu npfit Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:42:00 +0000 world-class data security environment after the bad publicity over its apparently losing two CDs with the unencrypted details of 25 million people on them. Ministers refer to the NHS as world-class; and they want the National Programme for IT to be world-class. Gordon Brown has backed a "world-class" medical research centre in St Pancreas. The number 10 website says Gordon Brown wants a "world-class" standard of education. In January 2008 the UK was said to be delivering "world-class e-Government"- which could mean it surpasses the quality of online public services in Papua New Guinea. Or perhaps not. So how measurable is world-class? Do Eskimos have world-class igloos, Canadians world-class mountains, the French world-class strikes and the Chinese world-class methods of crowd control in Tibet? Perhaps Robert Mugabe regarded his electoral system as world-class until recently. The term is meaningless, or misleading. One could envisage a ferry company, a new airline or a rail company using the euphemism "world-class" to describe the standards of travel commensurate with the lowest fares - cattle-class in all but name. A taxi driver could drop you somewhere unexpected in return for a world-class fare. I'll put some egregious examples of the phrase, as used in the IT industry, on this blog. This is a tolerable use of the phrase. And this. But the general rule is: steer clear of platitudes, jargon and clichés like the plague.]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/worldclass-please-no-1.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/worldclass-please-no-1.html IT industry jargon and platitudes npfit project management unclear English Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0000 launched by ministers in 2002 without any formal structure for identifying incidents in which the safety of patients was put at risk by errors arising from installations of new national systems. ]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/290-patient-safety-incidents-r.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/290-patient-safety-incidents-r.html npfit change management it failures learning lessons mistakes npfit npfit secrecy NPSA PACS patient safety project management Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:49:00 +0000 HC2008, the annual Healthcare Computing conference in Harrogate..]]> http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/some-of-the-good-and-bad-at-hc.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/some-of-the-good-and-bad-at-hc.html npfit change management electronic health records EPR HC2008 npfit project management Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:57:00 +0000 The Department of Health has advertised for an NHS chief information officer. Headhunters have been recruited and interviews will take place in a couple of months. Matthew Swindells, acting NHS CIO, told the HC2008 annual healthcare IT conference at Harrogate: "This is an absolutely crucial position, linking the policy to the strategy, to the informatics. If we can drive that from the top then other things become a lot easier for everybody." Meanwhile the Department of Health has appointed its latest interim head of IT in the NHS, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director. He has been appointed interim Director General for Informatics. His temporary appointment follows the resignation of Swindells who is joining consultancy Tribal. http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/whitehall-advertises-for-nhs-c.html http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2008/04/whitehall-advertises-for-nhs-c.html npfit it project complacency it project over-optimism it projects scope creep mistakes not learning lessons npfit project management Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:49:00 +0000