[LINK] Australia to learn UK "shared services" lessons

[Richard Chirgwin]

I just love this...

<http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://20080527000020711244&magsection=news-headlines-list&portal=_misnews&section=news&title=Steward+summons+CIOs+to+Gershon+briefing&source=/_xmlfeeds/mis/news/feed.xml>

 > Federal government chief information officers have been summoned to a 
briefing in July with UK efficiency expert Peter
 > Gershon, who will be in  Australia to conduct a closely watched 
review of the government's $6 billion a year computer
 > and communications spending.

Guess who was the chief advocate of the shared services model in the UK, 
which is now falling apart at the seams ...

Is it unfair to blame the advocate for the implementation? I argue not. 
Most technology advocacy works like this:
a) decide what fashion you're sponsoring.
b) construct economic studies to prove the benefits of the fashion 
you're sponsoring.
c) leave someone else to implement the fashion you're sponsoring.
d) blame failure on the implementation.

I wonder if Dr Gershon will be exposed to the media while here, and if 
so, whether anybody will ask 'so why are the efficiencies not working in 
the UK?'

RC