Govt ICT is "fundamentally flawed"

The government is struggling to get the basics of ICT right, and its approach is "fundamentally flawed," according to a new report from the think tank, Institute for Government.

The report, System failure: Fixing the flaws in government IT, is based on 70 interviews from both inside and outside of Whitehall. A taskforce of high level individuals, including former government CIO John Suffolk, and current deputy government CIO Bill McCluggage, was also established to provide "expert support and guidance" on how government ICT can be radically improved.

"To date the government has adopted an approach to IT that assumes that the world works in a rational and predictable fashion," says the report. "Specifications are drawn up in advance, 'solutions' are procured, and then delivery is managed against a pre-determined timetable."

It continues, describing most government ICT as "trapped" in an outdated model. "As was seen in £5bn National Identity Scheme and the £12.7bn NHS National Programme for IT, political priorities change rapidly and technological development is increasingly unpredictable."

Sir Ian Magee, Chair of the Improving Government IT Taskforce said there is a well-documented history of too many high-profile and costly failures in government ICT, but added: "The good news is that on the basis of the substantial research described in this report, we are convinced that there is a much better way forward for government IT."

The report points out the average procurement process in government takes a whopping 77 weeks to complete, and argues most attempts to solve the issues surrounding government ICT have only treated the symptoms. "This has simply led to doing the wrong things 'better'," it adds.

The dual approach to government ICT

The think tank suggests a new dual approach of agility and a shared, government-wide approach to simplifying elements of ICT (which the report terms 'platform') should be followed. By taking such an approach, the report believes the government benefit from an emphasis on adaptability and flexibility, while "retaining the benefits of scale and collaboration".

Andrew Adonis, Director of the Institute for Government said a much more flexible approach to government ICT was required, as "the billions spent on cancelled IT projects, such as ID cards and National Programme for IT, demonstrate."  He warned, "If a new approach to IT in government is not now put into practice, this will risk further haemorrhaging of public money."

The report says government ICT should follow the principles of agile techniques, with a modular structure and iterative development based on user involvement and feedback. "The benefits of this more flexible approach to projects are that components are broken down to manageable chunks that can be revised or cancelled without major financial consequences," says the report. "Such an approach would make it easier for civil servants to respond to ministers' priorities and feedback on usability." 

Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions' flagship project, is described as one example of the government taking an agile approach, with the organisation looking to deliver a prototype version in June this year. The report claims under the traditional approach taken by the government, so-called 'real users' would not have seen the product until May 2014, "at which time priorities and technological options are likely to have shifted."

The second approach - platform - should be followed in order to bear down on costs, reduce duplication and establish shared standards across government. "The focus here is on commodity procurement, coordinating delivery of common IT facilities and services, and setting common and open standards to support interoperability," says the report.

Commoditisation, coordination, and the establishment of common standards, would all work in bringing about the creation of such a platform, according to the report. 

Recommendations for the future

The report makes a number of recommendations for the government to take, including the need for the newly appointed government CIO (and ongoing CIO at DWP), Joe Harley, to operate "independently departmental interests" to allow him to "govern which elements of government IT fall within the platform and which should remain outside for agile development".

"Clear governance and escalation structures are required to resolve disputes between lead departments and other departments," says the report, which goes on to recommend the government CIO be appointed the first point of arbitration in such cases.

Besides commoditisation, coordination, and common standards, the think tank says delivery of elements in the platform "should be undertaken by lead departments, on behalf of the government as a whole." During the next financial year of 2011/12, the report says all government departments should run several projects according to agile development practices. "The exact number should be guided by the size of the department and collectively be weighty enough to act as a real catalyst for change within the department," it says.

Furthermore, the Institute for Government says future ICT and project management training should include "a significant component" on agile methods. "Departments should also help develop agile 'centres of excellence' to provide support, resources, training and coaching," it adds.

The report also called for government departments to review governance, project approval processes and legal arrangements to ensure they can be made to work with agile projects. "As part of this the Cabinet Office should investigate and implement an assurance process to replace the Gateway Review for agile projects," the report says.

Finally the think tank recommends that all future supply contracts should be made to work with a more agile approach to development, including licensing and supplier change requests. It adds, "This review should be led by the centre in order to avoid duplication at the departmental level."

Quick wins and shared ambition

"The scale of government IT is enormous," says the think tank. "Faced with such complexity, the lesson inherent in the principles of agile is not to try and develop a perfect roadmap for change up-front but to work up plans iteratively and to refine the approach over time based on user interaction and feedback."

"'Quick wins' will help to build support for change early on while developing a longer term plan. No system is perfect and no system is immune to change. Having a more flexible and agile system is the best way to keep adapting to the shock of the new."

A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said the government welcomed the report, which it said shared Whitehall's ambition to drive waste out of government functions and help shape its ICT strategy. The spokesperson also pointed towards the new spending controls announced by the Cabinet Office earlier today, which will see all ICT contracts with a lifetime value above £5 million subject to central approval.

"We are also going through all large existing contracts to ensure they represent good value," the spokesperson said. "To date, over 300 ICT projects have been reviewed and we are working with Departments to stop or de-scope contracts worth £1 billion."