05 November 2004
Many Whitehall departments are still short of people with the skills to manage large IT projects, the National Audit Office warned this week.
In a report, Improving IT procurement, it calls on government departments to find this expertise in the private sector, if necessary, to ensure the success of future projects.
Whitehall has been rocked in the past few years by a number of large-scale IT disasters that have cost millions of pounds.
Attempts by the Office of Government Commerce to improve the procurement of IT systems have had some impact, according to the NAO. However, the take-up of the OGC's Successful Delivery Skills Programme has been low, the report says.
Auditor general Sir John Bourn said things were changing across Whitehall: 'The OGC has made significant strides in identifying reasons for past failure and in establishing structures, such as gateway reviews, that allow for increased scrutiny.
'These remain, however, early days and my report makes recommendations to reduce the likelihood of future failure.'
Homegrown talent is being nurtured across Whitehall with the Programme and Project Management Specialism, which teaches commercial skills to civil servants, according to the NAO.
However, a private sector IT consultant who works for the government and does not wish to be named told Public Finance that it would take some years for the changes to filter down.
Blaming the culture in Whitehall, he said: 'Most of the failures had little to do with the systems, and much to do with the culture, a lack of training, a lack of understanding of the impact of IT on processes, or inadequately informed political management.'
The OGC has a programme of activities, tools and guidance, but the NAO warns: 'There is a risk that usability is compromised because it has been developed at different times for different audiences and is not coherent.'
The NAO says the OGC should 'review how it works with departments and agencies and create a strategy to change behaviour that includes a clear understanding of its clients' needs, experience and capabilities'.
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