Red reviews rising for Whitehall IT projects
NAO report looks at success stories for government technology and lessons to be learned
More government IT programmes are going through the Gateway monitoring process, but the number receiving warning red lights is also increasing, according to official figures published last week.
The number of red reviews increased from 30 per cent between June 2002 and March 2004 to 34 per cent between April 2004 and June 2006. The number of successful, green reviews fell from 20 to 10 per cent in the same periods.
The figures are part of a National Audit Office (NAO) report on successful IT projects.
Case studies include the £824m Department for Work and Pensions payment modernisation project and the £1.1bn chip-and-PIN payment system.
The research identifies three factors key to project success: the need for engagement by senior decision-makers; for Whitehall to behave as an ‘intelligent client’; and for clear plans to realise the benefits of the project.
Sarah Burnett, senior research analyst at Butler Group, says senior management involvement is crucial.
‘Successful implementation is about having the support of senior managers to see problems through,’ she said.
Eric Woods, government practice director at Ovum, says the emphasis is shifting from projects’ early stages.
‘The report reflects the fact that the benefits realisation has not been given sufficient priority,’ he said.
The NAO report is largely a re-statement of best practice, but it is important, says Woods.
‘It says more about what can be learned from best practice, rather than just focusing on what has gone wrong,’ he said.
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