PACP Committee News Release
If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.
|
Standing Committee on Public Accounts |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des comptes publics |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
Large Information Technology Projects at Risk: Committee Report
Ottawa, February 25, 2008 -
The government needs to a better job at managing large information technology projects, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled in the House of Commons today by Chair Shawn Murphy, MP.
Large IT projects are inherently complex, expensive, and risky. Consequently, they should be managed with care. However, an audit by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) showed that several large IT projects had incomplete business cases and were significantly over budget. The government appears to have made little progress since the last audit of IT projects in 1997.
The Committee was particularly concerned with the poor management of the Expenditure Management Information System and the Secure Channel. The former failed to meet all of the OAG’s criteria for good management and the latter will cost over $100 million per year to operate.
“If large IT projects are not well managed, said Mr. Murphy, “there are huge risks to the significant amounts of public funds involved. The government must do better.”
The Public Accounts Committee recommended that the government conduct a cost-benefit analysis of continued use of the Secure Channel and that departments publicly report on the costs of their large IT projects.
- 30 -
|