Dangerous Enthusiams. E-government, Computer Failure and Information System Development

摘要

As suggested by the title, Dangerous Enthusiasms offers a somewhat dystopian account on e-government investment and project delivery focusing on four case studies drawing on large-scale public sector ICT initiatives in New Zealand. Primarily aimed at practitioners, the book illustrates in detail the workings of misguided information system procurement and project management. It might also be of interest to students of (public) management, software development and related disciplines or those researching project management or government modernisation by means of technology, particularly in the health sector. The inspiration for this book stems from contemporary governments' unreserved enthusiasm and the associated expenditure on erroneous large-scale information system modernisation projects which tend to end up in either partial or total failure. Gauld and Goldfinch tackle this area, which admittedly suffers from chronic bad press, with such lavish pessimism that a word of warning ought to be issued to any practitioner or politician who might find this book by their bedside table: idolisation, lomanism, managerial faddism and technophilia are put forward in a model of four "pathological enthusiasms" leading to near-certain project failure in the field of ICT/information system development (ISD) in the public sector. Public servants, politicians, "computer geeks", IT consultants/salespeople and managers all have an incriminating role to play in a "vicious circle" that leads into spectacular failures and a waste of taxpayers' money.