Government re-examines IT failures

A new report investigating why government IT projects fail is to be used to help the public sector avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Compiled by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (Post) the report, Government IT Projects, will provide independent analysis identifying why some government IT projects fail, and considering the effectiveness of measures put in place to tackle the problems.

The full report is due to be published later this month, but a summary shows that common problems include unclear user requirements and a lack of clear senior management and ministerial ownership and leadership.

It has been researched against a background of IT difficulties at, among others, the Criminal Records Bureau, Inland Revenue, National Air Traffic Services and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Jim Norton, an external board member of Post, told vnunet.com: "There is no such thing as a computer project. There are business change projects that involve IT.

"For projects to be successful, they must consider the people dimension, explaining what is entailed - motivating and training staff and making them aware that productivity will initially fall with the move from the old to the new way of doing things."

The report said that while IT delivery problems occur in the public and private sectors, government programmes are perceived to fare worse because they are "often announced early and sometimes without considering the full delivery implications".

"In the public sector, policy can alter rapidly, often leading to IT changes," it added.

Technology issues that are specific to public sector IT projects include rapidly changing technology. The report said government departments may not be familiar with the latest IT, so may be unable to judge whether suppliers are overselling a technology.

Complexity and oversight also contribute to failures, as non-technical management in departments may have difficulty estimating how long a job will take and the quality of software being developed.

Project issues such as relations with suppliers are also critical. The report stresses that with external suppliers doing most of the work, government must be "intelligent clients" when it comes to scrutinising bids, and "be realistic about what systems are likely to deliver".

"Big bang" approaches to projects are discouraged by the Cabinet, and the report recommends that all major IT programmes should have a senior responsible owner to ensure that objectives and delivery are met.

Norton said: "This report will be used by parliament so it can understand what government is up to and promote better scrutiny. It is also meant to educate peers, MPs, ministers and backbenchers to look at key aspects of projects and know what best practice is."

The Post report will also consider the common causes of project failure identified by the National Audit Office and the Office of Government and Commerce in 2002:

1. Lack of a clear link between the project and the organisation's key strategic priorities, including agreed measures of success
2. Lack of clear senior management and ministerial ownership and leadership
3. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders
4. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management
5. Lack of understanding of, and contact with, the supply industry at senior levels in the organisation
6. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money (especially securing delivery of business benefits)
7. Too little attention paid to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps
8. Inadequate resources and skills to deliver the total portfolio.