The Department of Treasury & Finance's (DTF) Investment Lifecycle and High Value/High Risk Guidelines (lifecycle guidelines) provide guidance to agencies on managing projects. This part examines agencies' survey responses relating to planning, governance, project management, procurement, post-implementation reviews and project costs and time lines.
The quality of life and economic success of any community is heavily influenced by the quality of its water supply, sewerage systems, roads, public transport, education facilities, health facilities, communications systems, communal facilities and recreational infrastructure.
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Dr Peter Frost Acting Auditor-General |
Audit team Ray Winn and Michael Herbert—Engagement Leaders Rocco Rottura—Team Leader Hayley Svenson—Team member Engagement Quality Control Reviewer Tony Brown |
Ordered to be published
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER June 2016
PP No 154, Session 2014-16
Dear Presiding Officers
In accordance with section 16(3) of the Audit Act 1994, a copy of this report, or part of this report, was provided to:
The purpose of this Part is to restate some practices that may assist in the delivery of successful information and communications technology (ICT) projects by public sector agencies and entities.
The challenges faced by agencies included in this audit are not unique. There is opportunity to learn from the experience of other similarly situated agencies, as well as better practice documentation, in an attempt to plan and implement effective ICT projects.
Appropriate governance arrangements play an important role in the effective implementation of ICT projects and their ability to deliver intended benefits.
By themselves, the defined governance arrangements in the six examined ICT projects could not guarantee successful implementation. The involvement of senior management in actively engaging with the vendor, particularly when there are vendor performance concerns, is critical to project implementation.
VAGO's 2015 audit Digital Dashboard: Status Review of ICT Projects and Initiatives – Phase 1 found that nearly 35 per cent of Victorian Government information and communications technology (ICT) projects went over budget, while some 50 per cent were completed after their initially planned completion dates.
Information and communications technology (ICT) has become integral to how governments manage information and deliver services. This steadily increasing reliance on ICT is reflected in the Victorian Government's significant $3 billion annual ICT investment across the public sector, as reported by VAGO in its April 2015 report Digital Dashboard: Status Review of ICT Projects and Initiatives – Phase 1