Digitalizing the public organization: Information system architecture as a key competency to foster innovation capacities in Public Administration Claude Rochet Professeur des universitĂŠs Institut de Management Public et de Gouvernance Territoriale, Aix-en-Provence
The need to rediscover Francis Bacon
eGov is not « putting lipstick to a bulldog »
NPM & neoclassical economy: I.T. as manna from heaven On the contrary, IT operate in a Schumpeterian mode: through innovation and endogenous change. Technology is “nature organized for our purposes” (B. Arthur) => We must define those purposes “Technology is knowledge”: an evolutionary process between techné and logos
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
The Baconian approach Bacon: Knowledge as a process that must rely on both theoretical and empirical knowledge. If real knowledge “takes away the wildness and barbarism and fierce of men’s mind”, a superficial knowledge “does rather a contrary effect” (1605). The real knowledge implies experimentation and a round trip to theory. This process must be guaranteed by the state, as an architect of the numerous initiatives in research activities, through appropriate institutions: Royal society in England (1660) and Académie des sciences in France.
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
We have forgotten the Baconian tradition “The application of inductive and experimental method to investigate nature, the creation of a universal natural history, and reorganization of science as a human activity� (Mokyr) Consequences: Failures in IT projects, not specific to the public sector Amplified in the public sector: Quantity of big projects Heterogeneous data Number of stakeholders Moving perimeter
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
The rules to fail: Thank you NPM and mainstream!
Rules to fail in eGov’t: UK De-‐emphasis on open compe..on Capture by providers Segmenta4on b agencies
Domina.on of large firms:
Globally correlated with high costs NZ: counterbalanced by the small market size US: counterbalanced by the SBA.
In house technological capabili.es
Internal expenses > 50% NL, CA NL: Innova4on through interac4on with provider, thank to an architecture of small market The strongest value crea0on lever
Standard market costs
Conclusions: - No universal model: national characteristics matter - Poor technology transfer and learning process - In-house technological capacities is the key
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
NPM is inappropriate for ICT deployment ! UK: NPM’s Kingdom Outsourcing based on costs Lost of competencies to the profit of providers Oligopoles No innovative capacity creation
Netherlands • Partnership and negociations • Strong IT competencies whithin the buyer • Innovation in the margins of customer - provider relationship
Tallinn, May 2011 Source: Dunleavy &Margetts, LSE
Claude Rochet
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No correlation between success and amounts of investments
The success relies in architecture design through interaction with users
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Learning through failed projects
The Chaos report
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Why so many failures? The bigger the projects, the worse the results:
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Why so many failures?
General Chaos report reasons to fail
1) U ser Involvement 15.9% 2) Executive Management Support 13.9% 3) C lear Statement of Requirements 13.0% 4) Proper Planning 9.6% 5) R e alistic Expectations 8.2% 6) S m a ller Project Milestones 7.7% 7) Competent Staff 7.2% 8) Ownership 5.3% 9) C lear Vision & Objectives 2.9% 10) Hard-Working, Focused Staff 2.4% 11) Other 13.9%
Public sector context IT projects are not seen as processes reengineering tools that upset the current organization Technology is thought to be a problem solver in itself without rethinking the processes Managers see the problem of digitalizing the organization as a technical problem. They consider only the emerged part of the iceberg. Unrealistic expectations from politicians who favor spectacular projects
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Understanding technology as an evolutionary process
Calls for alignment of Endogenous innovation
May do (strategy pulled)
Endogenous innovation
Innovation in I.T
Innovation in processes Opens new avenues for
Can do (techno pushed)
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Framework: An isomorphism between the IS and the organization Stakeholders
Institutional framework
Exogenous innovation
Strategic stakes
Strategic and innovation system
Innovation policy
Business processes
Information system
Technical system
Tallinn, May 2011
Competitors
General management
Providers
Innovation opportunities
D Organization
Organization
D
Business, R&D
Organization Business processes
Harware
Technical system
Software
IT strategy implementation
CIO Claude Rochet
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A Baconian training program
Training enterprise architects
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Mapping the systems tree structure
Environment External systems
Information system
Organization (people)
Computing system
Computer Infrastructure
Tallinn, May 2011
Business systems
Softwares
Defining outside and inside is a key issue in systems mapping Claude Rochet
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A basic concept: the triangle
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
A Baconian approach
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First balance, made with participants Strenghts: It’s crystal clear! The sequence of concepts is natural It’s ready to use The triangle is limpid!. The methodology allows going form the global to the detail Even a beginner in architecture may apply it Case studies and testimonies.
Weaknesses: The problem of poor support from the management remains unsolved, in spite of the high price of this training, although the immediate impact on the daily performance is visible. The program reveals this lack of support stronger since architecting process needs to present trade-off. We are thinking in a special short session for topexecutive to explain what their role is.
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Some basic (best?) practices identified 1- Practice modeling to solve a specific problem, not for the pleasure of building a model using the latest up-to-date tool. 2- Modeling architecture is a key part of any IT project, and this, since the very beginning. 3- Stay KISS (keep it short and simple) : do we need that? For which purpose?... 4- An information system is a virtual reality, not the “real� real, so there will always remain many uncertainties that must be permanently explored. 5- Never forget any human and technique dimension of a project! 6- A modeling process is effective only if it fosters iteration between the clients and the architect. 7- There is no black box: clients must be associated in every task of the design process. 8- A model needs to be stable but not congealed: it is an ongoing process that may be capable of evolution as we approximate the real of the real: it is the condition for the model to be trustworthy. 9- The sooner the better: begin with a simple model that will be sophisticated as the project advances. 10- A big grain model is more useful than an unreadable but complete model. 11- Experience is key!!! We estimate than at least ten years of business practices is necessary to begin with architecting. 12 -Once designed, a model is an asset of the organization, a building block that will improve further modeling
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
« Baconizing » IT management in the public sector
“Baconizing” eGov’t management
Classical Baconian activities
Digitalized Baconian activity
Description
Counting
Gathering the data, tasks, units of works, procedures, softwares (legacy), lines of code…
Computing
Classifying
Libraries of (on the shelves) processes, routines, subsystems, functions, applications, urbanization plan…
Charting
Categorizing
Grouping processes, building blocks, aligning business and IT, architecture, testing
Conceiving
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
MĂŠtĂŠo France
SIG
Linking exogenous and endogenous innovation Interventions scenarios
Cellules FIRE
Charting the means allocations banks of processes Agile and scalable processes Intervention systems
Improvement
RETEX
Relevant Interventions
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Tallinn, May 2011 Claude Rochet
Distribution des prestations
Conception et pilotage des prestations
Adding value by architecture Process reengineering Integrating all the services in a one stop shop
Projet « Maison du Rhône Numérique »
Digitalized house of departmental services Tallinn, May 2011
Pôle 1
Indicateurs de processus
Pôle 2
Indicateurs de processus
Pôle 3
Indicateurs de processus
Pôle 4
Indicateurs de processus
Pôle n
Indicateurs de processus
Terri -toire
1 Automatizing processes building blocks through the web
Terri -toire
Terri -toire
Terri -toire
Terri -toire
Terri -toire
2 Focusing the “Maison du Rhône” on high value service delivery
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IT management: a lever for institution evolution
As Bacon put it four centuries ago, the success of a nation doesn’t rely on race, climate, geography or natural resources but on his ability in arts defined as the capability to stimulate the production and selection of useful knowledge through a permanent round trip from epistemic knowledge to empirical practice. Good institutions – rules of the game – for creating value using IT will emerge from this process of digitalizing public administration.
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