tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post6549857698280156665..comments2023-12-11T08:49:46.305+00:00Comments on Dizzy Thinks: Stop Press! Government waste money on IT failure!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-54925322252605502712008-01-07T21:07:00.000+00:002008-01-07T21:07:00.000+00:00It niggled me a bit that they had detailed this li...It niggled me a bit that they had detailed this list of massive failures but had done no analysis of why this was.<BR/><BR/>What struck me is that I expect that one of the common denominators is that all of these projects were managed using the PRINCE 2 project management methodology, it is impossible to do any IT project in the public sector without it. Now I am not saying that this is why these projects failed, I don’t have access to enough information to say, but it is a common factor and so should be analysed.<BR/><BR/>The other likely common factor, linked to both PRINCE 2 and the typical government approach to procurement is the practice of Big Requirements Up Front. This is where the users sit down and decide what they want the system to do in detail, partly so that external contractors can pitch for the development contract and their bids “objectively” compared for “best value”.<BR/><BR/>This is likely to be the 3rd common factor, use of external contractors, competitive tendering, the perception of transfer of risk and confrontational legal agreements. The problem is that risk is not transferred in reality; when was a government contractor last successfully sued for a failed project?<BR/><BR/>As Scott Ambler points out in the article in the link above, the whole BRUF approach has been proved to be flawed for a number of reasons<BR/><BR/> 1. The requirements change because the business changes. This is inevitable and as true in government (average tenure of a minister?) as in the private sector.<BR/> 2. People’s understanding of the requirements change. In reality most end users can only adopt the “I’ll know it when I see it” approach as they don’t know what technology can do and people just change their minds<BR/> 3. People make up requirements. If they are only being given one chance to specify what they want before it is tendered, they will put in stuff “just in case”. This is a particular problem in the public sector as IT suppliers to government are notorious for charging through the nose for changes in requirements (bid low, make margin on the inevitable changes)<BR/><BR/>There is a different way. Use a project management approach called DSDM and change they way you procure IT systems. Don’t specify the project in detail up front, just do enough to provide a sensible budgetary estimate and procure developer time rather than a finished system. This does mean a different approach to risk management but as the Guardian’s list of failure shows the current approach does not work!<BR/><BR/>(Also on www.kubernetes.co.uk)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-29646741967769422862008-01-05T21:55:00.000+00:002008-01-05T21:55:00.000+00:00It's not just the IT systems which are failing. We...It's not just the IT systems which are failing. We now have third world standards of administration in almost every government department. <BR/><BR/>The reason? Government in this country has outgrown the capacity of ordinary human beings to run it. The juggernaut is so large that it is effectively out of control.<BR/><BR/>What next? Ken Clarke put it succinctly: "The Government is going to run out of money." Unfortunately it will probably be a Conservative Government which carries the can.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-89441971523173169602008-01-05T21:44:00.000+00:002008-01-05T21:44:00.000+00:00David Bodden,IR35 and the labour party are all des...David Bodden,<BR/><BR/>IR35 and the labour party are all designed to crush the middle class intelligentsia of sn independent mind.<BR/><BR/>They have offshored our jobs, and I see it every day, loads of indians filling up banks all over Europe, what type of bloody permits are they on? It's bullshit. You can't buy property in India and you can't work there, but they can come, ten to a room, no social costs and send all their cash home. Sorry about the rant, too much JD but I could go on all night. Our own Gvnt screwed us for a shilling.<BR/><BR/>All ranting alcohilically induced and therefore I am a VICTIM!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-36346235052177240862008-01-05T19:02:00.000+00:002008-01-05T19:02:00.000+00:00Maybe, one day, someone will also ‘reveal’ the lin...Maybe, one day, someone will also ‘reveal’ the links between the companies that supply these systems and Labour party? The association between Capita and Labour is well known, but there are many links in the others too.<BR/><BR/>IR35 and (fraudulent) IT work permits are just two examples of the government policies that have been ‘encouraged’ by the big suppliers. On the latter point, the government is abandoning any pretence of making the employers look in the UK first. It was ‘revealed’ this week that from July, employers can ignore the UK workforce completely and hire from abroad.<BR/><BR/>Anon @ 13:56 asked, “Why aren’t the opposition making more of this”? Indeed, WHY? There is plenty of evidence to show that bad things are going on. This is a matter for the parliamentary ombudsman, the audit commission, and the police. However, the Conservatives choose to ignore it all. It’s very suspicious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-5418924362705883552008-01-05T17:15:00.000+00:002008-01-05T17:15:00.000+00:00I still find it funny that Prince 2 is the apprant...I still find it funny that Prince 2 is the apprant gold standard for IT project managment.Mostly Ordinaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11940615088493840939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-14789066650516090642008-01-05T14:14:00.000+00:002008-01-05T14:14:00.000+00:00Yes it is surprising that they've done their homew...Yes it is surprising that they've done their homework and concluded that the government has wasted billions of pounds of our money on failed IT projects.<BR/><BR/>It's something those in the industry did indeed reveal many moons ago....(didn't stop some of them taking the money though)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-864787965912071462008-01-05T13:56:00.000+00:002008-01-05T13:56:00.000+00:00why aren't the opposition making more of this?why aren't the opposition making more of this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-30554256113326712882008-01-05T12:47:00.000+00:002008-01-05T12:47:00.000+00:00Thats a good point,If these systems ever worked pr...Thats a good point,If these systems ever worked properly we would truly be stuffed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-14462594623069100082008-01-05T11:22:00.000+00:002008-01-05T11:22:00.000+00:00Personally I'm quite pleased the government is pro...Personally I'm quite pleased the government is proving incompetent in this area. If it worked, they'd have us all on their databases for everything, checking what we're doing, what we think ...<BR/> The need to 'know' is endemic in all government. May they cock up IT for ever.anthonynorthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06680944720744601697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22202011.post-32034176506867771562008-01-05T09:45:00.000+00:002008-01-05T09:45:00.000+00:00Dizzy.I don't know why you bother going on about G...Dizzy.<BR/><BR/>I don't know why you bother going on about Gvnt IT.<BR/><BR/>It's all a big money laundering exercise.<BR/><BR/>Any system the Gvnt uses to run any of its business I could write on my own in a few years, hardware costs excluded. Systems development isn't a black art.<BR/><BR/>Hire the right people, sack useless people (and this is where it all falls down because at least 50% of IT staff are useless which leaves 50% to develop the systems while fixing all the problems created by the useless 50%), keep the initial design simple, validate the basic model, then develop in phases not forgetting to document. Simple really.<BR/><BR/>Of course I have oversimplified a bit but I have developed systems for over 20 years as an independant contractor on three continents (in banking which is quite a rigorous environment) so I must have some clue.<BR/><BR/>Why do you think Accenture et all paid the Gvnt to introduce IR35. Not for the tax take, just to herd the brightest and best into slavery working for management consultancies so they could prfit even more without any competition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com