IT industry backs Gateway quality control process

Whitehall's Gateway monitoring system for IT projects is effective and should not be overriden by political deadlines, say IT industry experts.

The six-stage Gateway process, overseen by Treasury agency the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), reviews projects at key stages to guard against failure.

But last week, Computing revealed that the Inland Revenue's disastrous Tax Credits project skipped the first three Gateway review stages, which look at essentials such as business justification and procurement strategy.

The problems with Tax Credits have not reflected well on the government or the industry, says Nick Kalisperas, egovernment programme manager at supplier trade body Intellect.

'If one of the fundamentals of improving project delivery has been missed then that is clearly a problem. Gateways are seen by the industry as being a good thing and an effective process. For people not to use it, especially when it comes to significant projects with significant political dimensions, is very dangerous,' he said.

Strong political motivations can become the primary consideration.

'OGC has said that where there is to be a political announcement it can't be made until a full analysis of the IT ramifications has been undertaken. But if you stand up and say you will deliver something by a certain time, then that political imperative overrides virtually everything else,' said Kalisperas.

The OGC does a good job but should have a 'hit squad' to fix failing projects, says Richard Barrington, head of government affairs and public policy at supplier Sun Microsystems.

'There should be an A-Team, reporting to someone with real clout, so when a project fails its Gateway review, a team with no ties to any organisation go in and get it fixed. These failures make the whole industry suffer so we would rather there were more draconian measures in place,' said Barrington.

IBM director of UK government business Rebecca George said: 'IBM supports the Gateway review process for all Public Sector projects. It ensures that all projects are assessed according to consistent criteria by independent reviewers, which helps to keep them on track and highlights potential problems early.'