MaSSSoftech

People often ascribe failures in technology projects in government (and private sector) to technology-specific issues such as hardware or software glitches. However when you look closer, underneath the so-called technology failure is often more of a human issue. The issue in Virginia over Governor's Kaine's complaint that in effect, he is accountable for VITA's results but not responsible for it, is an organizational issue, not a technical one. However it is still leading to technology failures in the Virginia Government.

Let's step back a little bit - taking the example pf a point I made in an old paper published way back in 1999 on the critical importance of coordination in getting technology implementation right. The paper is obviously outdated in a lot of ways, but the fact that it is still current in one aspect - the importance of coordination - shows how little progress we have made in this area.

At the time I had observed that

"Most of the literature surveyed recommended that governments take strong measures towards promoting coordination and interaction of IT elements. Particular emphasis has been given on handling interministerial and interdepartmental conflict as well as promoting partnerships between business/government/ academia .....However in reality most of the governments failed to implement this".

This is something that remains as much of an issue in 2009 as it was in 1999, and as Candi Harrison, who has been in the web management trenches for 10 years (and co-chaired the U.S. Government Web Managers Council), notes in her blog, proper communication between all involved, whether they are agency heads, or agency employees, remains a big part of it.

A good example of this is right here in Virginia. Governor Timothy M. Kaine has just taken the unusual step of saying, quite publicly, that the Virginia agency that provides computer and information technology service to every other state agency should have to answer to the governor. Kaine said he feels most of the failures that have resulted in two legislative panels just to probe the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) are a result of its less than sane oversight structure and management. "I hope what the Legislature will do ... is come to the conclusion that this agency should report to the governor like every other agency does," Kaine said on his monthly radio program in Richmond. VITA, established six years ago, and Northrop Grumman Corp., its partner, have missed major deadlines in building a single integrated statewide network. These delays in providing service have caused problems (and complaints) from state agencies for some years now. Two committees: the House Science and Technology Committee and a subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee have held hearings on the troubling topic. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council ruled last month that the board that oversees VITA improperly met in private to discuss the Northrop Grumman contract, the largest state contract with a single vendor ever in Virginia. If Governor Kaine is right, then it is almost a textbook case of how lack of coordination between agencies has led to failures in technology implementation. Also worth noting, that so far the failures have been ascribed primarily to Northrop's performance but not lack of coordination between agencies or the absence of coherent reporting relationships. This is because things like over-billing, delays in paying subcontractors, and a lack of security at a warehouse that was holding state computers - all uncovered by audits - were much more obvious. Also obvious was the fact that the state e-mail addresses were not switched to a new statewide system on time. However factors like coordination or reporting relationship coherence are harder to pinpoint and recognize. While it is possible that technology failures can lead to unsuccessful e-government implementation, and in this case it is possible that all of these apparent failures can be laid at Northrop's door, it is also apparent that without proper coordination of IT elements - in this case - adequate coordination and authority over VITA, government managers will have a very difficult time implementing IT initiatives successfully. In this case, it seems to me, without the authority he needs, Governor Kaine cannot be expected to be held accountable for IT implementation in the state of Virginia.

Sources Used:

Northrop Grumman missed deadlines for a new billing system and an inventory of the state’s IT infrastructure: http://www.fcw.com/Articles/2009/06/19/Virginia-questions-northrop-contract.aspx

Fred Duball, a director of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, wrote that “Northrop Grumman’s failure to complete transformation in a timely manner means . . . the commonwealth is deprived of the benefit of those services and may incur other damages to compensate for Northrop Grumman’s deficiencies.“ Duball left open the possibility of legal action, saying, “By notifying Northrop Grumman of its failure to fulfill its contractual obligations and requesting a corrective plan, the commonwealth is not waiving any contractual rights or remedies available to it, nor is it excusing Northrop Grumman’s breach.“ Northrop Grumman spokeswoman Christy Whitman, told of the Duball memo, replied in an e-mail, “We are working to address the issues of critical importance to the program’s success.“.....Kaine defended Northrop Grumman, which has donated more than has $808,000 to Virginia political candidates of both parties since 2001, including $76,000 to his campaign and inauguration. "Generally, the issue has been VITA management of the contractor rather than the contractor itself," Kaine said.
Tricities.com

Results of audit findings: Select Sector SPDR

Not a single state agency's computer system was transformed by the deadline Virginia and its politically connected contractor have worked toward for the past three years, under a $2.3 billion contract. Business Week