When people think of a government IT project, the first thing that comes to mind is a kitchen sink with millions of pounds pouring out of it (just to clarify, that the money goes straight down the drain). And while many would be excused for thinking that government IT projects are a relatively new phenomenon, this isn't quite the case.
The first - or at least one of the first, government IT projects was picked up by Charles Babbage back in 1822. He proposed the idea of using J.H. Muller's concept of ‘a difference machine' to the Royal Astronomical Society. The UK government took interest in this in order to make processes more efficient.