WRITTEN ON November 5th, 2005 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Uncategorized

So far I see three emerging issues: identity management; the supply side; and change management.

Identity management
Are we serious about rebuilding legacy systems around the new Home Office ID number or not? If so, the Revenue, DWP, the NHS and local government will have to swing into line and get going on rebuilding systems. People might start showing them ID cards in three years and expect services. But it’s clear to me that the Revenue, DWP, NHS and local councils are not yet convinced. Until recently querying the ID card approach was taboo in DWP (for obvious reasons). But this can change now and the issue has to be addressed and resolved.

This question is about ID management for e-government, which may or may not prove to be a seperate debate from ID management for the various purposes listed by the Home Office.

Supply side
Has the strategy tackled the supply-side question? Richard Granger’s work on NPfIT shows the substantial effect on the supply side of public-sector contracts. Can industry deliver? Is the public-sector IT and BPO market now working well enough?

There was criticism of the role of the trade association Intellect quoted in the usually-reliable Register, and we’re aware of other criticisms that get shared but not publicly aired. I’ve got some myself which I share with John Higgins when I get the chance – but people don’t intentionally go on the record about this kind of thing, and anyone else’s chances of getting this confirmed from the same source are zero.

Intellect has meanwhile announced a Public Sector Council, which I’ve yet to understand properly. Intellect has a tricky job, and the company I chair has always been happy to be a member and in the early days to work for them too.

Change management
Nick Timmins at the FT (who broke the Gershon review story) led on the shared back-office services angle. Mark Hudson and Tim Marshall observe this carries all the leadership and management implictions of real consolidation. Jerry Fishenden says this means changes in the risk/reward structure.

I’m afraid this one does go to the top, because of the structure of departments and cabinet government. Peter Hennessey would use more precise words to describe it, but the sort of restructuring necessary can only be achieved with a very high degree of corporate focus and energy. The PM and the Chancellor have the authority, but CEO and CFO is neither their role nor ther modus operandi. Tim Marshall suggests a COO (an official, presumably) – imagine what the man or woman who could get this job done would be like!