Comments on: The next step http://www.helpfultechnology.com/helpful-blog/2012/02/the-next-step/ Digital engagement for people with more sense than money Wed, 15 May 2013 10:17:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Directgov Dog http://www.helpfultechnology.com/helpful-blog/2012/02/the-next-step/#comment-93146 Directgov Dog Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:45:21 +0000 http://www.helpfultechnology.com/?p=2266#comment-93146 “They’re starting to get out there in the government buildings across the UK where online transactions get built for real out of monstrous Oracle databases and J2EE middleware. It’s there that the money gets wasted and the user experience for millions of people gets sacrificed …”.

This made me bristle when I first read it, but I understand your point of view. I work in a public sector organisation with an out-of-date Oracle database and J2EE middleware. We have limited resources; if HM government want to improve public services they should invest in our infrastructure. We also have our own writers, content editors, designers and developers.

You need to ask whether GDS are in a position to genuinely improve the usability of our services when their London-based advisors (usually consultants, on temporary contracts) are on the other side of the country. They don’t understand the financial constraints we’re under or the minefield of regulations we have to negotiate as public-sector bodies.

Something for GDS, with their ‘headhunted external expertise’ to think about.

]]> By: Birth of Betagov « Digital by Default http://www.helpfultechnology.com/helpful-blog/2012/02/the-next-step/#comment-92982 Birth of Betagov « Digital by Default Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000 http://www.helpfultechnology.com/?p=2266#comment-92982 [...] O’Reilly piece did a really nice job of setting it in the bigger picture and closer to home Steph wrote an insightful post. Also Dominic pretty much summed up the importance of the open source methodology with this one [...]

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