Chant wrote that "honestly, we haven't come nearly far enough. Unacceptable IT is pervasive [in government]."
He added that "CIOs [chief information officers] across government, including me in various roles at the centre of government, have been guilty for too long of taking the easy path." This has led to poor contracting, a lack of innovation, over-engineered systems, and IT that is "a decade - or more - behind what [civil servants] are using at home."
Chant praised the head of the Government Digital Service, Mike Bracken, for bringing about some changes, but added that "there is still plenty more to do and, if I look back on the last dozen years and honestly reflect on those I've worked with and interacted with, this is still a pretty difficult list of stuff to do and some of those people just don't have the capability to do it."
Chant retires this week, and is replaced by Denise McDonagh, head of IT at the Home Office.