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UK.gov watchdog didn't red flag any IT projects. And that alone should be a red flag to everyone
Transparency is welcome – but you gotta read between the lines
Alarm bells should be ringing
The problem is that government departments provide their own explanation as to the progress of their projects, which it seems the IPA has in this instance uncritically repeated.
“There’s not going to be much point having the IPA if all it does is repeat back what they hear rather than demanding objective data that would reveal what’s really going on,” one well-placed source told The Register.
“The fact there is nothing marked as ‘red’ should in itself be sounding alarm bells about whether IPA know what they’re doing. It’s all become so subjective and descriptive rather than evidence based – a bit like all the ‘agile’ and digital programmes.”
What is also notable about the Verify entry is that no project cost was provided, unlike the vast majority of programmes listed in the report. All it said was that lower-than-anticipated user volumes have resulted in reduced spend in 2016/17.
Obviously, the IPA report is not without its flaws – but the alternative of not having one at all would be much worse. The point is, we should be wary of taking some of the ratings at face value.
Other examples include the amber rating of Blighty's £17bn smart meter project, which does appear to have made some progress, but at the same time doesn’t really reflect the questionable amount of money the programme will end up saving Brits.
Or the Department for Work and Pensions £13.5bn Universal Credit programme, which has been reset and re-scoped to such an extent that its eventual arrival isn’t currently on anyone’s immediate radar.
This is to name just a few projects listed in the report, where the rating alone doesn’t provide the whole picture.
And of course, there are countless other projects with a bad track record (HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Common Agricultural Policy system) which have been flagged as amber, but face further difficulties as the policy underpinning those systems needs to be decoupled from Europe post-Brexit.
Nevertheless, the report remains an important starting point in accounting for government spend. Kudos to the Cabinet Office for continuing to release the data. Now over to the rest of us to comb through it all. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
