Outsourcing Management of IS

Tom Worthington

Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society

For: Developing and Implementing Profitable Government Strategies for Trading on the Internet
11.30 am 16 June, 1999, Rydges Hotel, Canberra

Note: These are the "slides" of the talk, intended for display to an audience in 18 point font on a 640 x 480 video display. The text of the talk is also available.


Contents

About the speaker

Tom Worthington is Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society and presented evidence to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee IT Outsourcing inquiry. Away from the ACS, Tom works on Internet/Intranet policy for the Department of Defence.

Information Age magazine listed Mr. Worthington as one of the 10 most influential IT&T people in Australia in 1998, citing his work on national IT policy. His work since 1994 has been on the policy and practice of implementing the Internet, including appearances before three Senate hearings. He is preparing a book for publication in August 1999 on this experience.

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About the Australian Computer Society

The Australian Computer Society is the professional association in Australia for those in the computing and information technology fields. It was established in 1966. The Society has over 14,000 members and on a per capita basis is one of the largest computer societies in the world.

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Introduction

Outsourcing latest management fad from overseas?

Some observations:

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ACS Paper Preparation and Senate Hearing 1997

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The Paper

Definition of Outsourcing

"An arrangement whereby a third party provider assumes responsibility for performing information systems functions at a pre-determined price and according to predetermined performance criteria." Dianne Northfield, 1992

Reasons For Outsourcing

Many of these advantages can accrue just from the process of examining the outsourcing option, as a consequence of self-examination and formalisation. That is to say that they can accrue without outsourcing per se.

Critical Issues with Outsourcing

IT Professionals Involvement

Wider Issues

Outsourcing is: Outsourcing can:

Outsourcing assessment processes are a valid tool for Government and private organisations in matching operations to strategic needs. However, particularly in the case of government there is a need for processes to be open, accountable and participatory. Decisions made behind closed doors and communicated as a fait accompli are not in the public interest.

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Government doesn't make things...

The real University...has no specific location. It owns no property, pays no salaries and receives no material dues. The real University is a state of mind. Robert M. Pirsig, 1974

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Delivery of Government services via the Internet

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Services on an Internal Intranet

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Re-skilling the IT Workforce for Group-ware

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Managing Virtual Employees

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See also

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