I
Ian Cloke
Guest
The Environment Agency?s on-line rod licence sales service has been hailed as an example of excellent customer-focussed IT project development and management by the National Audit Office.
The National Audit Office is independent of the government and scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament and has the statutory authority to report on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which government departments and other public sector bodies use their resources.
The NAO?s report on ?Delivering successful IT-enabled business change? examined 24 case studies from the public and private sectors in the UK and overseas. They ranged from e-commerce and contact centre projects to major business overhauls, and included the Department for Work and Pensions (?824m), Department for Trade and Industry (?34m), The Pension Service (?297m) and Transport for London (?234m), as well as overseas projects such as the US Department of Defense, New York City Mayor?s Office and the Republic of Ireland?s Revenue Service. In comparison, the Environment Agency?s on-line rod licence system cost only ?200,000 to set up.
The report looked at how successful IT projects were implemented, the key contributory factors and, most importantly, how these could be reproduced in other government departments to deliver real and lasting benefits to customers.
The report, in particular, praised the Environment Agency?s initial strategy of launching the on-line rod licence service to coincide with the annual low-season sales period, thereby reducing potential demand on the system and minimising the risk of early technology failure.
"I am very proud of the excellent work done by the fisheries team in designing, operating and managing our on-line rod licence sales system, and I am equally pleased their hard work has been recognised by the National Audit Office, especially as the project only cost ?200,000 to set up," said Environment Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.
"The Environment Agency?s fisheries budget is about ?20m a year and is largely funded by anglers through rod licence sales. In 2000 we spent a little over 1% of our budget on developing the on-line rod licensing system. This year Internet sales are up by 70% on 2005, with about 140,000 anglers now buying a licence at a time and place that suits them."
The on-line rod licence service is not the EA?s only foray into the world of the Internet.
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The National Audit Office is independent of the government and scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament and has the statutory authority to report on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which government departments and other public sector bodies use their resources.
The NAO?s report on ?Delivering successful IT-enabled business change? examined 24 case studies from the public and private sectors in the UK and overseas. They ranged from e-commerce and contact centre projects to major business overhauls, and included the Department for Work and Pensions (?824m), Department for Trade and Industry (?34m), The Pension Service (?297m) and Transport for London (?234m), as well as overseas projects such as the US Department of Defense, New York City Mayor?s Office and the Republic of Ireland?s Revenue Service. In comparison, the Environment Agency?s on-line rod licence system cost only ?200,000 to set up.
The report looked at how successful IT projects were implemented, the key contributory factors and, most importantly, how these could be reproduced in other government departments to deliver real and lasting benefits to customers.
The report, in particular, praised the Environment Agency?s initial strategy of launching the on-line rod licence service to coincide with the annual low-season sales period, thereby reducing potential demand on the system and minimising the risk of early technology failure.
"I am very proud of the excellent work done by the fisheries team in designing, operating and managing our on-line rod licence sales system, and I am equally pleased their hard work has been recognised by the National Audit Office, especially as the project only cost ?200,000 to set up," said Environment Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.
"The Environment Agency?s fisheries budget is about ?20m a year and is largely funded by anglers through rod licence sales. In 2000 we spent a little over 1% of our budget on developing the on-line rod licensing system. This year Internet sales are up by 70% on 2005, with about 140,000 anglers now buying a licence at a time and place that suits them."
The on-line rod licence service is not the EA?s only foray into the world of the Internet.
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