The first year of any management job is usually spent cheerleading, but Ian Watmore’s first year leading the eGovernment Unit (eGU) at the Cabinet Office needed more than most.
As a Whitehall newcomer, Watmore had to establish his own credentials. And as head of a newly-created organisation he had to set out his office’s agenda, and then sell it to civil servants sceptical of central control, wary of technology and unenthusiastic about anything perceived as a distraction from their main business.
The result was the first pan-Whitehall IT strategy, Transformational Government, published in October.
But Watmore is now moving on to head the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU). The promotion is testament to how seriously he has been taken, and rightly so. And the fact that someone with an IT background is to take on a high-profile policy-delivery role speaks volumes.
But it is also, in true Whitehall fashion, an example of the organ-grinder being promoted before we get to hear the tune.
Watmore’s eGU has attracted relatively few dissenters, but those few wonder where the substance is and question whether, for all the announcements, anything has happened. The heavy-hitters are not in place, shared services is in its infancy and the practicalities of Transformational Government will not be forthcoming for another three months.
Computing is not so distrustful. The first year of a job is about laying foundations, and significant progress has been made.
But it is still only a foundation. Without wishing to detract from the hard work of Watmore and his team, the achievements so far may be the easy part.
Which brings us to the more serious issue. Since its inception in May 2004, the eGU has had five successive ministers responsible for egovernment. So there are clearly continuity issues already, if only politically.
Now the unit will have a new operational head as well.
And, more worryingly, the new head is to have a different role. Watmore will retain leadership of the CIO Council, and rather than reporting straight to the Cabinet Secretary, as Watmore did, the new recruit will report to Watmore at PMDU.
The thinking behind the change is understandable, both for the continuity of the eGU agenda and for the knock-on effect on the work of PMDU.
But the danger is that putting another level in the management structure effectively downgrades the role of head of eGU, and consequently its effectiveness. The changes also send out the signal that Whitehall still prizes vision over implementation. Particularly with respect to IT-enabled programmes, the government needs to stop thinking that the job is done once the policy has been announced.
But it would be a mistake to be too negative. It may be that dragging the eGU agenda closely into that of PMDU will enhance, not detract from, its power base and finally pull IT issues out of the ghetto.
The crucial factor will be the character of Watmore’s replacement.
The pace must not be allowed to flag, and potential recruits must be persuadedthat the role still has enough substance to tempt serious contenders.
Contrary to what the cynics say, cheerleading was central to Watmore’s role. His replacement must have the stature to carry on that job, while simultaneously ensuring that eGU does not turn out to be little more than a rebranding exercise to deflect attention from past disasters in the run-up to the next batch of technology-enabled schemes, which will be unparalleled in their reach and expense.
In short, government IT needs another organ-grinder, not another monkey.
Autor: Sarah Arnott
Quelle: Computing , 11.01.2006
