Stakeholder Position: IEE

Institution of Electrical Engineers

 

 

The delivery of government services electronically is a major pillar of government policy and is intended not only to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of service delivery but also to improve ‘customer’ satisfaction.

 

In order for the Government to achieve these twin aims, the public must be able to rely on and trust the electronic systems.  Web-based services must be customer focused, easy to use, fast, reliable, accessible to all, secure and work first time.

 

The IT systems that support these services are some of the largest and most complex systems in the world.  They must therefore be:

 

·         The result of thorough procedural review, possibly involving major organisational changes

·         well engineered, using the best possible technical and scientific solutions

·         not launched until they are thoroughly tested

·         and have sufficient capacity not to fail during periods of peak demand, e.g. the deadline for submitting on-line tax returns.

 

This calls for the highest level of professionalism amongst government IT staff and IT supplier companies.

 

The IT profession within government ranges from specialists in organisational change to those with the highest level of IT technical skills.  What they have in common is that together, working as a team, they are vital to the success of implementing government policy.

 

The challenge facing Ian Watmore and the Government CIO Council is to re-build an IT profession within government that was allowed to dwindle during the 1980s and 90s. 

 

IEE has called for:

 

·         hybrid professionals with skills spanning senior management and IT

·         structured career development for government IT professionals involving experience in both the public and private sectors

·         IT professionals to have sufficient status in the civil service to make a real contribution to strategy and challenge unrealistic ‘political’ deadlines where necessary.

 

While the challenge facing the e-government unit should not be underestimated, the IEE believes the strategies it has in place to build the confidence and professionalism of government IT are sound and worthy of support by all stakeholders.

 

MPs can play their part in increasing the success of e-government by asking questions during the scrutiny stages of Bills about the financial and technical impacts that proposed changes in legislation will have on the underpinning IT systems.

 

The IEE is demonstrating its commitment to promoting best practice in IT-enabled projects by sponsoring the Computing Awards for Excellence to be announced on 16 November 2005.  See http://www.computingawards.net/categories2.asp

 

Further information:

The IEE provides structured development programmes for IT professionals to enable them to gain new skills and competencies to assist with their career progression. 

 

Many of these are delivered direct to the desktop through the range of web-based services.  Products include electronic and hard copy journals, magazines, books, events and virtual communities. 

 

Personal involvement in IEE event-organising panels, Branches or as a volunteer allows technical experts to develop their communication and people management skills. See www.iee.org