going further together

1
The IT profession
The challenge for the next 40 years
Colin Thompson
going further together
2

The past

• Over the past 40 years IT has transformed the way
  we live.
• Creating opportunity
• Providing business and social benefits
• Improving quality of life

3
The Future

• The challenge for the next 40 years is to do it
  better
• To exploit the potential of IT to the full
• To secure the maximum business and social benefit

4

The gap

• Failure Statistics
• 75 of all IT projects exceed budget and
  schedule 33 fail
• altogether (Gartner)
• 80 to 90 of IT investments do not meet
  performance
• objectives, 80 are delivered late and over
  budget and 40
• are abandoned as failures (OASIG)
• Annual cost of IT failure in Western Europe
  140.5 Billions
• 
  (Gartner)

5

The IT profession

• There were approximately 961,000 people employed
  as ICT (professional) staff in the UK during the
  final quarter of 2004
• Source e-Skills Q1 2005 ICT Inquiry
• Few if any - required a recognised
  qualification as a condition of employment
• Less than 10 were in membership of a recognised
  professional body

6
The Professionalism in IT Programme

• The Objectives
• By increasing professionalism, to improve the
  ability of business and
• other organisations to exploit the potential
  of information technology
• effectively and consistently
• Build IT professionalism to the level at which it
  exists in other areas
• of professional activity
• Develop a profession that is respected and valued
  by its stakeholders
• for its approach to the exploitation and
  application of IT

7
The new IT Profession

• Meeting the challenge requires a different IT
  profession
• More mature
• More business focused
• More collaborative

8
Maturity
2006
CA
HR
IT
9
Level 1 Characteristics

• Recognition of a practice in commercial life
• Disparate specialised qualifications
• No coherent approach
• Malpractice not uncommon
• No independent assessment of skills, experience
  or behaviour
• Multiple professional institutions
• Limited adoption

10
Maturity
2011
IT
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Level 3 characteristics

• Profession is well defined
• Governance and code of conduct drive behaviour
• Professional membership is the norm
• Industry stakeholders value the professions
• Business value of practitioners recognised at
  senior levels in organisations

12
Maturity
2016
IT
13
Level 4 characteristics

• The profession serves society
• Social responsibility prevails over insularity in
  the behaviour of professionals
• The profession provides leadership to society
• Professionals practise with independence
• Professionals practice for the client over
  competition and employer
• Institution functions for representation and
  scrutiny are separated

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Business focus
The Past Essentially an Engineering/Technical
profession, responsible for the effective
delivery of systems to meet requirements
specified by the business The Future A
business focussed profession, with a base of both
technical and business competences, playing a
full part at all stages of IT enabled business
change programmes and projects
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The new IT Profession

• If we are to meet the challenge, we need an IT
  profession which
• Is defined in terms of its ability to play a full
  part in all stages of IT exploitation
• Is seen as and sees itself as an integral
  part of the business
• Has appropriate non-technical skills, including
  management, business and leadership skills,
  as core competences.
• Is about both Information and Technology
• Lays greater emphasis on the accreditation of
  current capability and competence
• Demands greater personal responsibility on the
  part of the practitioner.
• Is attractive to a wider group of entrants than
  at present

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The new IT Profession
Management
Core Body of Knowledge
Business Change
Strategy Planning
IT Architecture
Information Mgt
Core Body of Knowledge
IT Infrastructure
Service Delivery
Systems Development
Security
Of the IT Function
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BUILDING THE NEW IT PROFESSION
CHARTERED IT PROFESSIONALS
QUALIFIED IT PROFESSIONALS
IT STUDENTS TRAINEES
CPD
Qualifications Framework
Development Services
Disciplinary Support Processes
Competence
Skills Competence
Specialist Disciplines
CPD Process
Academic
Ethical
Admission Processes
Body of Knowledge
Scope
Behavioural
Governance Structure
INSTITUTION GOVERNANCE SUPPORT
DEFINITION OF REQUIRED STANDARDS
COMPETENCE QUALIFICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
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Collaboration
NCC
Intellect
e-skills UK
BCS/IET
BCS/IET
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The 10 year vision

• A confident, effective business-competent IT
  profession
• A comprehensive infrastructure of competence and
  respected qualifications
• An appropriate pool of qualified professionals
  working to approved standards
• A strong and highly professional base of supplier
  organisations
• A customer community competent in the
  exploitation of IT and the management of change
• An IT industry and profession proud of
  achievements and contribution

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The IT profession
The challenge for the next 40 years
Colin Thompson
going further together