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Survivor: IT

Any team that's playing to win needs a strong leader, and the same goes for government's challenge with IT.

Farzana Rasool
By Farzana Rasool, ITWeb IT in Government Editor.
Johannesburg, 08 Dec 2011

The Department of Communications yesterday said IT and ICTs have a critical, empowering role to play as an engine for democracy.

Technology is one of the most important tools required in the process of development and progression.

We need CIOs from different departments high-fiving each other every time they take a technological step forward.

Farzana Rasool, IT in government editor, ITWeb

In light of this, for SA to move forward, government needs to have a solid IT or technology strategy in place.

This becomes obvious when considering the impact of e-government services and integrated systems on the lives of citizens and on government's efficiency, and therefore, on service delivery as well.

The e-filing system introduced by the SA Revenue Service has significantly reduced the amount of effort and paperwork required for taxpayers to submit their returns.

Time-saver

In the same vein, the upcoming online home affairs system, where applications for IDs and the like can be submitted online, will reduce the risk of lost documents and the time citizens usually spend at physical branches.

Integrated systems would mean the Department of Transport could get copies of IDs for driver licence applications from Home Affairs, instead of requesting physical copies when the applicant has time to bring it in.

The Department of Labour (DOL) could have job-seekers' information from when they finish matric or their tertiary education, directly from the Department of Education's database.

IT mess

However, with the cost of technology, government officials need to be very careful in ensuring the right technology is attained, maintained and operated in a cost-effective manner.

We all know how well that's working out.

There's the DOL's debacle with Siemens for the upgrading of all its IT systems.

In February, the department announced its contract with Siemens is being investigated. It subsequently said it would not renew the contract and would actually negotiate an early termination due to irregularities.

Word is the problem lies with the initial contract being poorly drafted, and the department admitted to this.

It included very little method to hold Siemens accountable, or to terminate the contract on non-delivery of service or poor performance, which has been the case.

The DOL also admitted there was a poor record of monitoring and implementation on its part.

Then there's the Department of Home Affairs' Who Am I Online project, which is meant to see the overhaul of the department's systems. The project aims to replace outdated and obsolete legacy systems, as well as improve security.

The department cancelled the contract with bid winner Gijima last year. This was partly due to an escalation of costs from R2.1 billion to R4.5 billion, which the department said was invalid.

The Department of Correctional Services has received qualified audits for the past seven years, and this has been largely attributed to the IT unit in the department.

The unit has been described as being in a crisis situation, since it spent approximately R1.1 billion on consultancy fees, having minimal permanent IT staff.

Follow the...

One of the most outstanding reasons for this failure in IT upgrades and implementation is definitely a lack of leadership.

We clearly see the need for a government CIO to collaborate with departments and advise on the best way forward in terms of IT systems.

Without one, SA's government is nothing more than a headless IT chicken.

Government has been without an IT head since the resignation of CIO Michelle Williams in April.

How long will it take to get a new CIO? Government says the post will be filled when the recruitment and selection prescripts for senior management posts in the public service have been completed.

Again, how long will it take to get a new CIO?

Technology team

Government needs to get someone who can read through companies' sales pitches and invest in systems that it needs, and which will provide best value for money.

There are several instances in a country and in life where leadership is a necessity. This is one of them.

Imagine a reality TV show where people are stranded on an island with limited resources. Now imagine if each of them did only what they themselves thought best with the portion of the resources they were entrusted with.

There would no doubt be duplication, wastage, and no use of skill sets.

As much as everyone may hate the person who tells everybody what to do, we need that bossy creep to co-ordinate everything.

Individuals may think they know best about certain things, but if everyone knows best in a team effort and acts on that individual knowledge, then 'best' is going to be the least likely result.

And that's exactly what government needs to be, a team. We need CIOs from different departments high-fiving each other every time they take a technological step forward, which still seems like a good idea 10 years down the line.

There needs to be a team captain to strategise, motivate and also take responsibility when things go wrong or become unnecessarily expensive, as tends to happen in government. There is no immunity in this game.

And so, as part of a whole new reality show that ought to prove extremely entertaining, the search is on for SA's next top CIO.

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