Local councils shed CIOs as cuts bite Many local councils that jettisoned CIOs or senior decision-makers in the rush to cut costs lack a coherent IT strategy, according to a panel debate by Netgear. The Coalition last week boasted that the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) had saved £800m by squeezing public sector suppliers, but others further down the food chain …
Really, really bad move. When will public sector organisations realise they need to keep at least a core staff of PMs and techies who know what they're doing and can work with a supplier to keep things on track? Too many NGOs etc expect an outsourcer to come up with a magic bullet solution and aren't willing (or able) to provide the guidance needed to keep a project under control.
Result: Getting shamelessly rooked by companies like mine for systems that don't quite do the job. Hey, it pays my bills, but I'm a taxpayer too.
Well, maybe not quite as big as what it is made to be.
Most Councils exist in a region that already has policies or guidelines plus, I daresay, quite a few indicators about where to go arrive via Whitehall.
What is challenged, challenging and probably equally welcome is a change to practice that a regional policy/guideline must automatically mean that each Council in the area must appoint a CIO - even if it is a token, ratify the options type appointment.
A bit like the forces story reported in El Reg today there tend to be several ranks of structure above local authority level that tends to be rather poorly presented to the public.
Regionality is a big theme and most smaller Councils with or without CIOs or any CxOs are probably going to follow what big neighbouring Councils do anyway.
While bigger Councils might do a full sweep analysis and put forward recommendations to elected members smaller councils will probably just ratify the options chosen elsewhere = no need for CIO anything really (well, maybe one per region).
Cost savings on procurement potential too.
... most "director" posts or directorships in local councils really are overrated and overstated administrative posts hyped up over the years tending towards ratifying and locally fine-tuning into decisions or recommended options taken far higher in the command chain (usually on a non-accountable and non-explanatory basis).
CIO := SAIO (senior administrative information officer)
and likewise
CxO := (senior administrative x officer)
After all someone has to attend the meetings and occasionally take minutes.
In my experience of dealing with over two hundred local authorities across the world, not one in the UK has had a properly empowered CIO. So, talk of getting rid of CIOs seems to miss the mark. The single largest IT cost for the public sector is driven by the complete dearth of strategic thinking. Too many authorities are at the mercy of senior managers with short-term, performance-managed targets, facilitated by IT suppliers with a view on equally short-term sales. There are very few local authorities with coherent IT or Information Management strategies that have the governance in place to prevent short-term 'point solutions'.
Socitm's 'Planting the Flag' is an excellent start at defining what needs to be done from a strategic perspective but, as things stand, the public sector has neither the skills nor the inclination to think long-term. Let's get controversial: What do you do when the officer with the short-term mission and a cosy band of preferred suppliers in tow is the CEO, backed by a chamber full of clueless councillors?
David Gale
CEO
SITFO.org
Blog at: http://www.sitfo.wordpress.com
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