"Too many disasters in public sector IT" says chair of MP's Committee
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"New information technology has the potential to make public services more efficient, effective, and accessible. Unfortunately we have seen too many disasters in public sector IT – projects that were late, over budget, or abandoned because they simply did not work.
In light of the past, it is encouraging that the arrangements for scrutiny and oversight developed by the Office of Government Commerce appear to be paying off. Gateway Reviews, for example, are popular with departments and are leading to better control over projects and earlier warning of problems when they are properly used. However, there are still too many projects that enter the Gateway process too late and leave it too early.
There is also a continuing lack of programme management skills in Departments, representing a major obstacle to successful delivery. And while a good start has been made by OGC, Departments need to further build their relationships with suppliers.
Almost certainly there will be incidents of future projects where systems and processes are not properly applied. But with huge sums of taxpayers' money and the quality of public services at stake it is essential that Departments embrace good practice and have the commitment to make IT programme and project failure a thing of the past."
Related links to this article:
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts
National Audit Office
Office of Government Commerce
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