it must be recognised that the authors [FIPR] are wanting desperately to do something about the chronic lack of join-up across public services … There is then a GIANT leap made, across the gap between well-meaning policy makers (who ARE responding to some extent to what people say they want/need) and the particular technical fix … Seems to me that there’s an urgent need for much better join-up between policy and technology, upstream in the policy making schedule.

I have been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I had every intention of saying something positive in support – eg WIBBI some critics (including myself) of Government proposals were less antagonistic, less anti-, more positive about intentions, and make more of an effort to suggest reasonable alternatives.

But according to the OGC two of the most common reasons for government IT project failure are lack of stakeholder engagement (ie, ignore or do not ask the people who will actually use it), and ‘silver bullet’ syndrome (ie, it will solve every problem in the papers). I am sure the same can be said of non-IT projects too.

And if this happens time and time again, as the OGC claims, WIBBI the Government stop effing doing it?

There is then a GIANT leap made, across the gap between well-meaning policy makers (who ARE responding to some extent to what people say they want/need) and the particular technical fix, which as you rightly point out, may reduce human dignity enormously and make people less not more likely to access the support they may need.

Seems to me that there’s an urgent need for much better join-up between policy and technology, upstream in the policy making schedule. And involvement of those practitioners who actually deliver frontline services to adults, children and families in the conversation is absolutely crucial.