E-government's identity crisis is no reason to perpetuate fragmented and inefficient ICT infrastructure
Governments face a growing challenge as they grapple with the evolving role of ICT in public sector reform. E-government once occupied a modernisation moral high ground, with the Internet as a catalyst for citizen-centric, joined-up government. These days the imperatives are less clear. ICT is starting to be viewed as a problem rather than an opportunity.
In Canberra, for example, federal government executives anxiously await the results of Sir Peter Gershon's ICT review. It is expected that the review will advocate a stronger government CIO role and a move towards increased consolidation of ICT operations and procurement. In Sydney, on the other hand, the New South Wales state government recently scaled back the ambitions of its People First technology strategy - backing off an unworkably centralised approach. In Melbourne, the Victorian state government disbanded its Office of the CIO in 2006, and has embarked on a strategy to centralise a range of corporate service functions - including ICT.
E-government has suffered a growing identity crisis over the past few years. As the 'e' is absorbed into the 'business' of government it becomes less useful as an overarching, unifying lever of change, and also perpetuates a fragmented programme-centric approach to ICT. The harsh reality, however, is that ubiquitous and efficient ICT infrastructure platforms are no longer a 'nice to have'. ICT underpins all aspects of modern government services, and is a rising cost. Rebelling against the perceived, and real, difficulties of whole-of-government reforms - with their centralisation/decentralisation tensions - is no reason to continue to support fragmented and inefficient approaches to ICT infrastructure.
Victoria has bitten the bullet, creating a new central ICT services agency, CenITex, and a new model for whole-of-government ICT provision In July the Victorian State Government launched a new centralised ICT service agency - CenITex, the 'centre for IT excellence'. This is a significant development in the evolution of the state's e-government agenda - most notably because CenITex was created as a state-owned enterprise entity. CenITex is now outside of the line of control of the departments and their secretaries. Its CEO reports to an independent board of directors under the direct oversight of the Minister for Finance, Workcover and the TAC, Tim Holding. Peter Blades, who led CenITex's establishment, has been confirmed as the CEO of the new entity. Blades is a wily CEO with decades of experience of transforming organisations and making them perform.
CenITex's mission is to provide integrated, reliable and high-quality ICT shared services for Victorian departments - and to realise economies of scale. Its initial scope of activities comprises provision of 'commodity' data centre, application hosting and desktop services. CenITex was created by the merger of two existing ICT shared services entities and will initially serve some 10,000 users over six departments. The service is anticipated to expand to other departments if service levels and costs evolve in line with expectations.
CenITex now needs to be governed for success
The new entity reveals the government's commitment to investing in a fresh organisational model for the delivery of ubiquitous ICT infrastructure on a whole-of-government basis - underpinning both connected government strategies and cost-cutting objectives.
The new organisational model is, however, not without its challenges. Chief among these is putting the new entity's independence and autonomy into practice within the context of the government's broader Efficient Technology Services strategy.
CenITex was created as a statutory agency for a good reason. Its agency status gives the CEO the commercially oriented focus and discipline needed to both drive the required internal transformations and create a genuinely service focused and sustainably funded ICT organisation. This theory now needs to be put into practice for CenITex to be governed for success.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Steve Hodgkinson
Quelle/Source: Ovum, 19.09.2008
