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 The paper is obviously outdated in a lot of ways, but the fact that it is still current in one aspect - the importance of coordination - shows how little progress we have made in this area.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

By SONYA MISQUITTA

MUMBAI -- A striking 71% of students in Indian metropolitan areas say they use personal computers, according to a new survey by information technology giant Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

And 66 % of students in the southern city of Bangalore said they were active on blogging and social networking sites, compared with 39% nationally, the same survey found.

The survey of nearly 14,000 kids studying in English-language schools in 12 major cities in India shows schoolchildren here have embraced technology and the Internet, with Google and Wikipedia overtaking the library as the most trusted source of information.

The survey "confirms that today's students are shifting their academic and social life online and embracing the digital world as true digital natives," said S. Ramadorai, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Consultancy.

Conducted in 2008 and 2009, the survey is the outgrowth of a quiz show that Tata Consultancy launched a decade ago in English schools across India to create an interest in technology. Through the survey, Tata Consultancy hopes to connect with potential employees by gaining a better understanding of how young people use technology to work, play and think, company officials said.

Rising incomes among India's middle class have meant that more families are likely to own a personal computer.

Among the many significant findings of the survey was the fact that the highest percentage of users of personal computers were in Bangalore and Delhi -- at 77%.

Some 63% of children surveyed said they spent more than an hour each day on the Internet; 41% of school children surveyed chose Google as a source of information, while 46% said they use online sources to access news.

Far fewer children reported using the library. Cochin in Kerala ranked the highest in library usage, at 14%.

Blogging and social networking also appear to be gaining ground. Higher education abroad remains a common goal among students. The U.S. remains the most popular study destination with nearly 40% preferring to study there, the survey found. However, when it comes to their careers, 49% said they would like to stay in India.

Laptops and Ipod players do not appear to have reached many homes, according the survey. Mumbai had the highest laptop penetration, at 38%, compared to the national average of 19%. Tata Consultancy is one of India's largest information technology players, with 48,000 employees in India, 95% of whom are 25 years old or younger.

"In Vino Veritas," the Latin phrase meaning "In wine there is truth," was a tactic employed at the White House this week, it seems.

It was a surprising (and refreshing) next chapter to the Gates-Crowley story that many people wish would escape the front pages.

Prominent Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, who is black and in his fifties, is a well-known documentary filmmaker. Police Sergeant James Crowley, who is white, arrested Gates for "disorderly conduct" July 16th. Gates was returning from a trip to China and found his door jammed. After forcing it open, he was confronted by Crowley, who reportedly began the interaction with the sort of language African Americans know mean trouble: "Sir, please step off of the porch"--one important aspect of the escalating event that has not gotten much attention.

Information technology has advanced calendar and address book management, but still falls short for conveying the social realities at the heart of many such conflicts. Obama left his famed Blackberry out of sight.

Crowley has not appologized. Obama, with his "beer summit" as a "teachable moment" was trying to share information -- to communicate the experiences of the African-American community to law enforcement and vis-a-vis. Lack of communication is after all, the most prevalent and impactful type of lack of access to information.

The Internet, with all it's power, simply brought millions of more people into the Gates-Crowley misunderstanding; it is unclear if it has helped focus us on the fundamental truths to be discovered and shared.

Beer, it seems, may have helped more. But that's no surprise, considering small circles of people, gathered like this to exchange Vino-equivalents and their thoughts, have shaped social agreements dating back farther than recorded history. Now there's a great information technology.