Which events or policies have dominated your attention during 2012, and how have you tackled them?
As Government CIO, 2012 has been all about delivering on the ICT strategy announced last year. We made good progress on a number of fronts: we are on track to exceed our 2012-13 savings targets in infrastructure spend; major departments are implementing PSN and it is generating strong savings; we’re now on our second iteration of the Government Cloud Store, with 450 suppliers, almost 3000 services, and early indications that the store can produce significant savings; in hosting, we continue to drive savings within the larger departments; and we concluded the Open Standards Consultation, which will encourage competition by creating a level playing field for all companies to ensure we are getting the best price for the taxpayer.
How have the shape and capabilities of the Government IT Profession changed during 2012?
The shape has not fundamentally changed. However, I’m proud of the work we’ve been doing round the IT Profession Board, which has representatives from across government. We’ve doubled the number of ‘Technology in Business’ fast streamers, created a standard career framework, and worked with industry to drive forward apprenticeships. We’re now able to see a picture of all senior civil servants in IT across government and have become a real cross-government community – as was evidenced by the success of the recent IT Top 180 event, which for the first time brought together senior leaders from IT.
How can the IT profession help deliver the Civil Service Reform Plan? Which aspects of the Civil Service Reform Plan are most important to improving the capabilities and operations of the IT profession?
Clearly one of the biggest contributions IT can make in the CSRP is to how civil servants can work. We hope to put them in a position where, to quote the Martini advert, they can work “any time, any place, anywhere”. We can achieve that through delivery of PSN, a standardised environment for staff on their devices, and the adoption of cloud services.
With regard to the Reform Plan itself, it’s really pleasing to see the flexibility the plan offers for how people could be rewarded; and even more encouragingly, the focus it now gives to managing professions across government rather than just within departments.
What are the main challenges for you and your colleagues across government in 2013?
We must accelerate delivery of the ICT strategy and ensure it underpins the government’s Digital Strategy. Key to this is to continue to develop and build the IT capability within government.
Cracker jokes are notoriously bad. Can you give your colleagues a good joke to tell over the Christmas dinner table?
New government regulations say that Santa’s helpers must wear a seatbelt when they’re on the sleigh. It’s elfin safety gone mad!
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