CSSA tells the Government how to get IT right

Another report aimed at improving the Government's poor IT performance has been launched.

The Computing Services and Software Association (CSSA) has unveiled the results of the IT industry's review 'Getting IT Right for Government'. The report, which took six months to compile, sets out actions for the Government and industry.

This follows the publication of the Cabinet Office report 'Successful IT: Modernising Government in Action'. Both reports follow criticism of the Government's waste and inefficiency in the management of the £7.5 billion on information technology projects in the public sector with projects running late and over-budget.

In its report, the CSSA, a trade association for the IT services and software sector:

• urges Government to consider the wider imperatives of projects and their business needs rather than the demands of the technology;
• calls for good practice to be mandated - excellent guidance exists for virtually every aspect of a project. Strong effective action is vital to ensure good practice is followed in the future;
• seeks empowered champions at a senior level committed to projects, charged with their success and with clear accountability, responsibility and authority;
• raises serious concern about the lack of good project managers and recommends - training programmes to increase numbers and quality - professional project management qualifications - new career stream for project managers;
• recognises the particular cultural and environmental barriers that need to be overcome in Government to maximise success;
• proposes a Senior Forum of executives from Government and suppliers to follow through the recommendations.

John Higgins, CSSA Director General, said: "This review draws on CSSA members' many years experience of implementing large public sector projects. The review team received written submissions from over 40 companies. The conclusions are clear; IT projects do not exist in isolation but are invariably only part of a bigger change. To improve significantly success rates Government must first recognise and then set about changing the particular environment and culture in the public sector. Additionally such overall business change programmes must be led and managed by professionally qualified people with the necessary experience and authority".

Higgins fully accepts that industry must change too. "IT suppliers must tackle the widely held perception that many projects are under-sized and over-sold." He concluded that the one vital outcome must be for industry leaders and Government to work harder together to solve these problems and begin by working jointly to implement the recommendations.

Cabinet Office Minister, Mr Ian McCartney, whose department carried out a parallel study welcomed the report. He said: "Both of our reports agree on a number of issues directed at improving overall performance in delivering IT projects.

"These include improving skills, changing the culture so that IT projects are seen as part of the whole process of business change rather than separate "add-ons" as well ensuring strong leadership with the introduction of a single Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) to streamline decision-making."

The CSSA's review was produced with input from over 40 organisations involved in the public sector and is sponsored by leading suppliers of IT products and services to the public sector: Andersen Consulting, Bull, EDS, IBM, ICL, McKessonHBOC, Sun Microsystems and Syntegra.

The CSSA currently has over 700 members representing approximately 80 per cent of the industry by turnover and with combined revenues of more than £14bn in 1999.