The government is planning – once more – to make changes to its IT buying policies to help avoid expensive project failures.
As always, the devil will be in the detail, which will be revealed when head of egovernment Ian Watmore announces his new IT strategy later this month. There is a sense of déjà vu about early glimpses of the plan that were provided this week.
Five years ago, the Cabinet Office published a report by then minister of state Ian McCartney that led to the creation of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and a whole new way of dealing with IT suppliers. It also created improved internal controls such as the Gateway review process.
The OGC has gone a long way to overcoming many of the problems that used to be endemic in government computer projects, but clearly the Cabinet Office feels that more needs to be done.
Undoubtedly, the tough stance taken by NHS IT director general Richard Granger in holding suppliers to account for the health service IT programme will have been closely watched.
The danger, as IT vendors will testify, is that transferring too much of the project risk to suppliers can be tantamount to abdicating responsibility if the right internal processes are not put in place at the same time.
But Watmore is an experienced IT leader, and he is surely aware of the challenge of getting this balance right. He has avoided controversy during his tenure so far, but has demonstrated already that he has the vital gift of common sense.
An emphasis on phased rollouts and improving IT professionalism in government will be equally important aspects of his plans.
With technology playing a central role in modernising all areas of government over the next few years, the details of the new strategy will be closely examined by suppliers, users and public sector IT managers alike.
Quelle: Computing, 13.10.2005
