Contemporary IT Practice & Governance

Contemporary IT Practice & Governance

By

Robin Vashishat Course: Q702 IT Governance Teacher : Milton Dsouza

Formal Technical Report

Integrated National Computerized Information System
Abstract of Report

This report has been produced in relation to the preparation of custom based software INCIS. There was another system using by police in the past. Now, the users of that system are not satisfied with the applications and features of that system. So, the preparation of the new system takes place. In the preparation process, lots of issues and complexities takes place which resulted in delay of project. In this report, the explanation and needs for the new system is mentioned. It also gives an idea about the problems in implementations and other cost related issues. This report is an example of why projects needs IT Governance. It also describes the two IT Governance models and some recommendations that should be followed by project team for their future IT projects.

Purpose of Report

The purpose of this report is to provide new ways to develop IT projects and improve the factors that delayed the implementation of INCIS. It emphasis to develop a trend to opt for customized package software rather than custom build. The new system was developed to keep police record up to date automatically. This was a replacement of old system. But because of over budget and complexity of large project, police was failed to implement it properly. The report discussed the problems that were encountered in the development and implementation of the Police system INCIS. It is also mentioned that how the police and Government can recoup the costs to implement the new system-INCIS. The report highlighted the lack of IT governance practiced by the Government and IBM. The recommendations are given in this report to the Police and Government regarding the development of future IT projects and the handling of risks involved in such projects.

Introduction to INCIS System

INCIS means Integrated National Computerized Information System. It is the system used by the Police to create law and order in their Jurisdiction. The main purpose of the INCIS is to reduce the office work and make more officers available for the field jobs. It helps in providing improved information, investigation and analysis capabilities. It would also help in minimizing the crimes and incidences by evaluating the key reasons and will also suggest the time of action. The main areas of INCIS are as follows: Offenses or Suspects information Case and investigation management Crime trend analysis Intelligence analysis Performance measurement The main contractor of this system was IBM who were to produce technical infrastructure and desktop computers. Originally the intended desktop was OS/2 but later was revised to use Windows New Technology. This system was primarily used to phase out the Wanganui Intelligence System. But, because of being over budgeted and risky, the system was never practically used. The researchers say that the need and requirement of the system wasn't clearly understood.

Need for INCIS

The need of INCIS is to support operational Policing by providing improved information, investigation and analysis capabilities. Old system was not able to meet the needs and requirements of the staff and users of Police Department. Old system had lot of weak links. With the change of time, the requirements of the system and needs of work changed a lot. All the paperwork needed to be turned into digital files to make the data more organized and easily accessible. Old system had proved ineffective in the following ways: System failure: Due to large amount of data access and transfer, sudden system failures and system jam took place from time to time which lead to inefficiencies at work. Slow response time: Processing speed of the system was too slow, especially at the peak times. System took lot of time in processing a certain request and sometimes, system froze for hours leading to wastage of time and delays in services and actions. Administrative changes: In case of any administrative, there were no protocols to add new members and vary their access control accordingly. Improve communication between regions: There was less or no communication between the Police force of the different areas. Due to this, even the small reports took days to get verified from outside the jurisdiction of that particular system. Hence, it was quite essential to build that intercommunication bridge between the different parts of the force. Also, Wanganui Intelligence System was not able to meet the needs and requirements of the staff and users of Police Department Because of some reasons

Inefficiencies of work due to system failure and slow speed In case of any administrative, there were no protocols to add new members and vary their access control accordingly. There was less or no communication between the Police force of the different areas. Due to this, even the small reports took days to get verified from outside the jurisdiction of that particular system. Hence, it was quite essential to build that intercommunication bridge between the different parts of the force.

Problems Encountered during Implementation

But due to lack of documentation, IT governance, schedule, cost and Technology, the project was not implemented as required to government vision. At the time of initiation, INCIS was a high risk project. Visits by managerial police staff to other law enforcement agencies confirmed that the technology requirements for INCIS at that time had not been designed or implemented as an integrated system of sufficient standard to meet the needs of police. Following were the problems encountered during the implementation phase of INCIS:

Phase Out OS/2 and Move towards Window NT: The construction of the INCIS project was well done and they were having towards the completion of the system .In the year 90s, IBM was working on the INCIS system with the help of OS2 (Operating system 2) and till this particular instance, on the one side, all the work was going well and on the other side Window NT was holding a good market share and it was also a very good operating system. As the Window NT was a good/strong enterprise level operating system , IBM decided to phase out OS/2 and change all the work of INCIS to Window NT and as a result cost went up. This transition gave a delay in the project development.

Police Failed To Present Required Reports: All the procedure of the system was facing irregularities because the reports which were supposed to be produced by the police were not actually happened. In this way neither the reporting requirements nor the quarterly report was produced by the police in front of STA and Minister of police respectively. After this, when the Andersen report came then some bitter truths came in spotlight which were internally responsible for delay in project development .There were some requirements of the system which were not actually available in the

request for proposal i.e. traffic , firearms and statistics. The delays in reports were also the reason for the delay of project implementation.

Conflicts within top management: There are two organizations within the IBM i.e. SWAIG and ISSC management issues, the work and responsibilities of these two organizations were changed. In the way of alteration of the responsibilities from SWAIG to ISSC there were so many problems created like breach in the relationship within the organization and the way of thinking .The main problem was the different types of decision like objective and doubtful accountability which were creating trouble between the Police project Director and IT Director. The conflicts within the IBM were also the cause of delay in system development.

Cost Related Issues

We will consider the problems associated with resource utilization, accounting, monitoring and control during a project. The integrated national computerized information system was a law enforcement information management system that includes the all aspects of police investigation. But because of the cost blowouts and delays in implementation, the project was not delivered on time. The main problem with this system was under-estimation of the cost and complexity of the project because it was divided in many phases that were delivered late not on supposed dates. Moreover, the project team was unable to deliver key IT systems. The system was supposed to recoup $114 million in coming years by reducing administration requirement and also generate to $45 million by selling this technology to other law enforcement agencies but this was not actually happened. The project team had spent 3 million dollars just to search packaged application for the INCIS because. The worst thing in this project was to divide this project in three stages because every stage increased the cost. The project involved up to $7 million cost when project team decided to migrate INCIS to NT. Then in 1998 $20.17 million was approved by the Cabinet to meet the capital cost of INCIS which IBM charges for the changed functions but it increased because more people are involved that made project more complexes and risky. This cost included more $8.67 million only to maintain the project team due to the projected delays from IBM because IT people are not clear to their vision to aligned IT with their project. The project was behind schedule that involve more $8 million by March 1997. These all issues raised because of the improper delivery schedules, accountability and cost.

Lack of IT Governance

Lot of delays and over budget this project was not delivered at estimated time. This happened because of lack of IT governance in project as follows: IT Governance initiatives are very often instigated by top management of the organization, and they have the initial support of the senior management. So this is important to sustain this support throughout the project. But this was not happened in the case of INCIS project because there was not clear IT governance vision of NZ government. IBM had its own internal problems which needed to be resolved. The transition process between the two companies SWAIG and ISSC resulted in many problems like intercommunication between the different parts of the organization, skills and knowledge imbalanced because of this. Delays in achieving deadlines was the problem which was most significantly repeated in the above case study. This, not only lead to wastage of time but wastage of resource as well.

They want invent something own but they were unable to relate the new technology with this large project. They divided this project in 3 increments that made this project more complicated. Also many political leaders involved in it that created lot of conflicts among them. IT Governance practices requires a well-defined plan, it is important to stick to this measure against any resistance but INCIS project team was not stick to plan. The project team did not monitor the size and complexity of their IT infrastructure. This system was developed without remarkable supervision. When they over budgeted, they dont know how to handle this situation by using less IT Resources.

COBIT/ITIL as IT Governance Model

This is not the first time the Police have suffered delays in delivering key IT systems. Companies need a strong governance model in place to align IT investments with business requirements. There are two governance models which can be implemented by Government to enhance outcome from the department. COBIT The business process within IT has improved as a result of using COBIT for ongoing IT governance related projects. COBIT is an internationally accepted set of tools organized into a framework that executives can use to ensure their goals and objectives. It ensures IT is working as effectively as possible to minimize IT-related risks and maximize the benefits of technology invest How does the COBIT support the governance of IT COBIT supports IT governance in by providing a framework that ensures that: IT is aligned with the business IT enables the business and maximizes the benefits. IT resources are used responsibly. IT risks are managed appropriately.

Benefits of implementing COBIT

Improves IT efficiency and effectiveness Maintain high-quality information to support business decisions. Optimize the cost of IT services and technology Helps executives understand and manage IT investments throughout their life cycle Support compliance with relevant laws, regulations, contractual agreements and policies.

ITIL ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world. ITIL provides a cohesive set of best practice, drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. It provides a practical, no-nonsense framework for identifying, planning, delivering and supporting IT services to the business.

Benefits of ITIL ITIL advocates that IT services must be aligned to the needs of the business and underpin the core business processes. It provides guidance to organizations on how to use IT as a tool to facilitate business change, transformation and growth.

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The main steps the entire ITIL service lifecycle, beginning with the identification of customer needs and derives of IT requirement, through the design and implementation of the service into operation and finally, on the monitoring and improvement phase of the service. Adopting ITIL can offer users benefits that include:

improved IT services reduced costs improved productivity improved use of skills and experience Improved delivery of third party service. improved customer satisfaction through a more professional approach to service delivery

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Recommendations for future IT Projects

INCIS Project have led the report to make the following recommendations for future IT projects: Emphasize on using conventional technology. Separating the infrastructure from technology. Adopting a proper form of contract with the delivery of business benefits in modules. Projects should normally use proven technology. Where it is necessary to use unproven technology, this should be reflected in an increased risk management process. There must be comprehensive quality and risk management processes. The appropriate form of contract should be signed only when the Government agency is satisfied that it has addressed and resolved all relevant issues including technology, resources and risks. Any conflict or dispute that adversely affects the project must be addressed promptly and in an effective way. To maximize the prospects of success, a projects needs to have tight and effective management. The approval and monitoring structures need to be resourced to enable them to effectively meet the expectations of Government The approval of any future IT project by Government should contain directions that ensure that the monitoring by the monitoring agencies is as effective as practicable.

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Referencing

Ministerial inquiry to INCIS http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/m/ministerialinquiry-into-incis

ISACA https://www.isaca.org/Pages/default.aspx

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum-cost_flow_problem

http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/research/RG/svg/tony/papers/incis.html http://cio.co.nz/cio.nsf/spot/police-rescue http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/computerworld-25-years-ibmincis-and-the-internet

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