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Most Whitehall IT projects 'are behind schedule'
IT News |
08/02/2012
The government is taking steps to improve the efficiency of public information technology projects, it has been claimed.
According to Whitehall's Major Projects Authority (MPA), more than half of all major government schemes are currently running behind schedule and/or over budget.
David Pitchford, executive director of the MPA, said fewer than half of 206 projects studied are progressing as initially planned, reports Computer Weekly.
And with the Con-Lib coalition implementing budget cuts across all departments, steps are being taken to reduce waste in public IT projects.
The MPA itself was created in April 2011 to improve the delivery of government projects, the majority of which have a significant focus on IT.
A new Major Projects Leadership Academy is also being established, in a bid to develop the expertise required to manage public IT schemes within Whitehall.
Candidates will be taught leadership skills and technical awareness, which should help future managers to understand when a project is off-track.
Mr Pitchford told the news provider that, over the last 25 years, leadership capability has largely been outsourced by the government.
"[At the end] consultants walk away with the money and knowledge leaving the government with neither," he noted.
The MPA chief said he hoped the new academy would see government project success rates increase from the current 45 per cent to 80 per cent within five years.
Bob Kerslake, head of the Civil Service, noted that all too often, the government has focused its attention on bigger, more ambitious projects.
"The evidence is that there is more headway if you break them down and move to more manageable chunks," he stated.
"That is particularly true of IT but it is also more widely true."
Posted by Jon Aspinell
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