The Department for Work and Pensions recently announced its decision to scrap the new benefits payment systems at a cost of £141m.

I am concerned that past lessons do not seem to have been learned and am conscious of the effect that a failure of this scale has on the way the public perceives the IT industry.

The sensationalised way in which events are reported tends to point the finger at the IT industry and fails to highlight the actions of the business, all of which contributed to the system’s eventual demise.

Such softer issues are not specifically related to IT, but apply to all types of projects. They are the traditional human failings that have existed since the beginning of time: inability to communicate effectively; assumptions; ineffective project management; lack of foresight.

These factors are exacerbated in IT projects because they tend to cross a number of organisational divisions; hence the degree of failure is proportional.

I notice that reports of successful systems do not make the headlines with quite the same impact. But it is absolutely vital that lessons are learned, both where positive stories emerge – and when projects fail.

First, public sector technology leaders must question why IT initiatives often run over time and over budget. Whatever happened to the traditional fixed-price contract?

Lack of transparency, effective planning and poor communication are also regularly perceived to be problems.

Workers often fail to engage with expensive, public sector systems because the requirement-gathering element of such projects do not incorporate the individuals that will be working with the technology.

The user is easily ignored, but ironically the success of the system rests on fulfilling the needs of such individuals.

As an, on the whole, less socially aware discipline, IT often underestimates the need to engage end users and to ensure they are on board from the outset.

All stakeholders need to feel that they have been consulted and that their experiences are of value to the process.

It is such a form of engagement that enables the users to ride the bumps of the development process hand in hand with the supplier.

Failure to engage effectively results in a potentially fatal breakdown in communication and alienation of the very users that will ultimately, albeit indirectly, sign-off the system on implementation.

All IT projects have various levels of risk, but the return on investment should result in enhanced profits and competitive advantage. If the ends consistently fail to justify the means, new approaches must be considered.

An approach of improvement through technology at any cost will ultimately result in more high-profile failures.

There are some positive signs for the future. Recently it seems that no IT department is complete without a complement of business analysts whose primary role is to engage the business and bridge the communication gap between the operational aspects of the organisation and IT.

The creation of such roles is evidence of the need to provide a means to communicate more effectively.

No longer can IT departments survive in a vacuum, and without assistance they cannot rely on the business to provide the abstract clarity of thought and process necessary to achieve large-scale business aims.

Many universities recognise the evolving needs of the IT professional by incorporating business skills modules into their computing award programmes.

The British Computing Society has made an encouraging contribution towards highlighting the need for professional standards through its charter membership and certification programmes, such as the European Computer Driving Licence.

It is now essential that UK industry takes up new standards and methods, in an attempt to make damaging headlines a thing of the past.

At the same time the business needs to become aware of its responsibilities, be clear on its objectives and have a healthy respect for the cost and effort needed to develop and implement effective IT systems.

IT services are the life blood of so many organisations and it is more important than ever that technology is properly represented at the highest levels of the organisation.

The traditional IT department for core utilities is dying; a new one is slowly emerging that is dynamic, proactive and has a practical operation view of all business aspects. Will the business be ready to ask the right questions? cb

Dean Burnell is ICT programme manager of The Football Foundation, a charitable organisation that funds sporting facilities and community initiatives.