A performance audit of the whole-of-Government plan to implement high level ICT services across the ACT public sector has found it to be ineffective.
In his report 06/2019 ICT Strategic Planning, Auditor-General, Michael Harris said that while the plan provided a high-level vision statement for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) across the ACT Government’s Directorates, it suffered from a lack of information on the implications of that vision.
Mr Harris said the ACT Government Digital Strategy 2016-2019 sought to bring cohesion to the Directorates’ ICT strategic planning.
“However, there is little further information on the practical implications of the vision for ICT, and how this should be used to inform, or be translated into, Directorate-specific ICT strategic planning processes and documents,” Mr Harris said.
He said a series of initiatives flagged in the digital strategy to promote whole-of-Government ICT strategic planning had not been effective.
“There is considerable variability and inconsistency in ACT Government Directorates’ ICT strategic planning processes,” Mr Harris said.
“While some Directorates demonstrate a level of maturity in their approach to ICT strategic planning … the variability in the quality and consistency of ICT strategic planning outputs impairs the ability of ICT to effectively support Directorate strategic goals and objectives.”
The audit found that the absence of a consistent, identifiable ICT strategic planning framework – with clear roles and responsibilities, timeframes and deliverables – made it difficult for Directorates to consistently and effectively plan for ICT.
It recommended the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate develop and implement an ICT strategic planning framework for the Directorates and Agencies.
It also recommended the Directorate develop a whole-of-Government ICT strategic plan that supported the digital strategy, and develop and implement a whole-of-Government application portfolio management approach.
The Auditor-General’s 87-page report can be accessed at this PS News link and the audit team was David Kelly and Greg Dare.
