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Press Release -- August 13th, 2014
Source: Verizon
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How Can Government Projects Succeed?

A successfully implemented government IT project requires a number of factors

13-AUG-2014
by John Hines
(Guest Contributor)

There’s no doubt – more organizations, including those in the civil service are realizing the value that IT plays in their success. As a result, budgets increase, more resources are thrown into projects and more stakeholders get involved. However, this increased focus on projects can in fact, contribute to their downfall. A 2012 McKinsey study revealed that 17 percent of lT projects budgeted at $15 million or higher go badly and more than 40 percent of them fail. The study concluded that most projects massively exceed their budget by over 45 percent and deliver 56 percent less value that predicted. While the study wasn’t necessarily aimed at government projects, the huge budgets and complex requirements involved mirror the same fundamental challenges we see in government projects. So what should government organizations take into consideration for IT success?

Often, large-scale IT projects mean that there is a potential for organizations to bite off more than they can chew. Projects can end up too complex and ambitious needing the approvals of many stakeholders. First Lesson: Start small, dream big.

The second challenge is accountability. While it is normal for projects to evolve and increase in complexity, this does mean the involvement of more stakeholders. In this vein, decisions can potentially take a longer time to be reached with executives reluctant to make critical decisions. With the potential for internal conflict and a lack of relevant expertise looming large, it’s also not difficult to lose sight of the original intentions. Second Lesson: Get the right people involved, not necessarily the most senior people.

Long procurement cycles are often the norm, even for minor government technology projects. This coupled with the slow speed of approval to operate new technologies, and the legacy base of systems that government IT managers have to deal with all contribute to the pedestrian adoption of new technology. Third Lesson: Get finance and procurement involved at the start of each project, not midway through.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at this article on IT News from 2013 where the former Australian Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat shared his vast wisdom.

Of course, many of these pitfalls can be avoided by choosing a strong technology partner who has ‘been there’ and ‘done that’. Verizon works with government agencies around the world including the Australian Federal Police and Australian Department of Defence. In addition, Verizon provides national identity solutions to more than 25 countries and manage identities in more than 50 countries serving more than 200 million citizens with online digital-enablement services that enable individuals to transact securely and efficiently. It’s just possible we might be able to help.

Learn more about our solutions for government agencies.

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