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Slide1: 

going further together PROFESSIONALISM IN IT Colin Thompson Programme Director

PROFESSIONALISM IN IT: 

PROFESSIONALISM IN IT AGENDA The Professionalism in IT Programme – background and purpose 2. The Issues 3. Programme Structure and Plans

THE BACKGROUND: 

THE BACKGROUND Failure Statistics: 75% of all IT projects exceed budget and schedule (Gartner) 33% fail altogether (Gartner) 80 to 90% of IT investments do not meet performance objectives, 80% are delivered late and over budget and 40% are abandoned as failures (OASIG) Annual cost of IT failure in Western Europe $140 Billions (Gartner)

THE BACKGROUND: 

THE BACKGROUND Public Comments Government IT projects have failed due to ‘incompetent suppliers providing crap solutions’ ‘Let’s be honest about this, there have also been suppliers who have lied to us’ Andrew Pinder ‘Every day we are faced with suppliers who make exorbitant claims about the performance of their products and we are bitterly disappointed.’ Sir Peter Gershon

1992 ProfIT WORKING PARTY: 

1992 ProfIT WORKING PARTY Participants BCS IEE IBM Conclusions Professionalism is the key to improved performance – but not just the professionalism of the ICT practitioners delivering quality products and services requires focussed professionalism across all aspects of an organisation Quality products and services are the result of completely professional organisations, employing competent professional people in all functions, working to professional standards and processes

1992 ProfIT WORKING PARTY: 

1992 ProfIT WORKING PARTY Conclusions continued Although individual organisations can achieve improvements in quality, the effectiveness of a unilateral approach is limited by: The need to compete for business The tendency for price to be the major factor in winning business Customer understanding and competence This is an industry problem and it can only be fully resolved by the industry working together to provide a framework that encourages and rewards quality

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME: 

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME Programme Sponsor: Charles Hughes President-Elect Programme Director: Colin Thompson Deputy Chief Executive Purpose: A managed programme intended to give substance to the stated ambition of the BCS to lead the profession of the 21st century and to build IT professionalism to the level at which it is seen to exist in other areas of professional activity.

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME: 

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME Objective By increasing professionalism, to improve the ability of business and other organisations to exploit the potential of information technology effectively and consistently.

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME: 

BCS PROFESSIONALISM PROGRAMME The Key Issues Professionalism - what is it? The IT profession – what is it? How do we develop an IT profession valued by its constituency?

Slide10: 

going further together PROFESSIONALISM - WHAT IS IT?

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM Professionalism is an aspirational* standard, rather than a set of minimum requirements, the essential elements of which are: Competence Personal integrity, responsibility and accountability Service *The aspiration should be to meet the highest standards that the public has a right to expect of its IT professionals

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM Competence   Relevant, up to date skills and capabilities appropriate to the particular task Including appropriate non-technical competences -communication, business, leadership and management competences.  A broader foundation of relevant experience, knowledge and understanding Supported with relevant qualifications Maintained through CPD

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM Integrity A clear commitment to abide by a code of ethics which is recognised and administered by the professional community. Responsibility and accountability A set of obligations and responsibilities which sit alongside, and may in certain circumstances take precedence over, the contractual obligation to an employer or client. A matching accountability which is also separate from that of an employer.

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM ‘If I ask an Architect and a Civil Engineer to design an unsafe bridge their integrity and professional competence will say that they won’t do it however much money I’m prepared to offer them. If I ask a software architect and engineer to design an unsafe system – unsafe because there has not been adequate time for testing – how often do we hear those professionals say ‘no, not in that timescale at any price’? Sir Peter Gershon

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM Membership of a recognised professional body Professionalism is about a commitment to standards and disciplines recognised across a peer community of professionals Being part of that community is an essential part of being a professional

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM Service Regard for and contribution to the public good Social responsibility Commitment and contribution to the profession

PROFESSIONALISM: 

PROFESSIONALISM ‘To me, the essence of professionalism is a commitment to develop one’s skills to the fullest and to apply [them] responsibly to the problems at hand. Professionalism requires adherence to the highest ethical standards of conduct and a willingness to subordinate narrow self-interest in pursuit of the more fundamental goal of public service.’ Justice Sandra Day O’Connor – US Supreme Court

Slide18: 

going further together THE IT PROFESSION – WHAT IS IT

THE IT PROFESSION: 

THE IT PROFESSION The IT profession Essentially an Engineering/Technical profession, responsible for the effective delivery of systems to meet requirements specified by ‘the business’ Or A business focussed profession, with a base of both technical and business competences, playing a full part at all stages of IT enabled business change programmes and projects

THE IT PROFESSION: 

THE IT PROFESSION If we are to achieve a more professional approach to the exploitation of IT, we will need an IT profession which: Is defined in terms of its ability to play a full part in all stages of IT exploitation Is seen as – and sees itself as – an integral part of the business Has appropriate non-technical skills, including management, business and leadership skills, as core competences. Lays greater emphasis on the accreditation of current capability and competence Demands greater personal responsibility on the part the practitioner. Is attractive to a wider group of entrants than at present – including those groups alienated by the current image of the profession

Slide21: 

going further together BUILDING A VALUED IT PROFESSION

THE IT PROFESSION: 

THE IT PROFESSION The Aim To build an IT profession that is respected and valued by its stakeholders - Government, business leaders, IT employers IT users and customers - for the contribution that it makes to a more professional approach to the exploitation and application of IT.

BUILDING THE IT PROFESSION: 

BUILDING THE IT PROFESSION Developing the IT profession to meet this objective: Must be undertaken in consultation with the stakeholder community - particularly the employer and business communities Will require a significant change in our view of professional formation – including entry requirements, academic requirements, career development paths and ongoing training and development Will change the nature of the services and support required from the major professional bodies Will involve a significant cultural change for the IT industry Will not be easy

THE STRATEGY: 

THE STRATEGY To work with the stakeholder community to develop and implement the vision of an IT profession that meets the objective. Customer led CEO/CIO level Steering Board to provide direction. Executive Group to drive the detailed programme of research and consultation Supported by a vigorous campaign to mobilise support and maintain momentum

MAKING IT HAPPEN: 

MAKING IT HAPPEN STEERING BOARD EXECUTIVE GROUP Purpose: Broad direction Visibility & credibility Industry championship Industry commitment & buy-in Purpose: Widest poss. Representation & involvement of professional community Ensure all relevant issues are included and covered by appropriate research/consultation Secure pool of experts to drive programme content Ensure consistent message from the whole profession Secure top class QA mechanism Provide review mechanism for all conclusions and recommendations to Steering Board Input from research and consultation BCS Programme and campaign management and support Input from advisory groups

MAKING IT HAPPEN: 

MAKING IT HAPPEN STEERING BOARD EXECUTIVE GROUP John Leighfield (Chair) John Woodget MD Intel UK & Eire Richard Christou – Exec Chairman Fujitsu Maggie Miller – Ex CIO Sainsbury Katie Davis – Director of Professionalism eGov Unit Jim Norton – IOD JP Rangaswami – CIO DKW Ian McCaig – COO Lastminute.Com Paul Druckman – President Chartered Accountants (Paul Martynenko – Head of IT Specialist Profession IBM Natalie Ayres – Senior Director Microsoft Tim Phillips – Chair Russell Group IT Directors Paul Burfitt – CIO Astazeneca David Hendon - DTI Charles Hughes – BCS Input from research and consultation BCS Programme and campaign management and support Chaired by Charles Hughes with a mix of relevant institutional and ‘real world’ representatives

MAKING IT HAPPEN: 

MAKING IT HAPPEN Stakeholder Groups: Our customers – employers of IT staff, IT users, the business community and individual practitioners. Standard setters – Professional bodies (IT and related professions), Government Departments and Agencies and commercial organisations involved in standards. Education and training providers – HE, FE academic institutions, commercial training providers, in-house training organisations, IT suppliers with significant training product portfolios. Trade and other bodies – Intellect, eskills, ITSMF Recruitment companies Media – Trade press, business magazines, IT Editors in key national newspapers.

PROGRAMME ACTIVITY 2005/6: 

PROGRAMME ACTIVITY 2005/6 April – June 2005 Build Programme Management structure Build Steering Board Complete Stakeholder analysis Build Communication and engagement plans July – September 2005 Build Executive Board and advisory Network Develop the vision Build research plans September 2005 Agree objectives and plans with Steering Board

PROGRAMME ACTIVITY 2005/6: 

PROGRAMME ACTIVITY 2005/6 October 2005 to March 2006 Complete research programme Build plan for development of the profession March 2006 Obtain Steering Board approval to plans April 2006 Conference to launch the new IT Profession

Slide30: 

going further together Thank you for listening If you have a contribution to make on any aspect of professionalism in IT or if you wish to be involved in the ongoing programme activity, please contact: cthompson@bcs.org.uk