[LINK] Australian Government Data Centre as a Service

[Roger Clarke]

>On 02/03/2011, at 12:34 PM, Roger Clarke wrote:
>>  A proportion of business functions can be supported by standardised apps.
>>  Custom-building or customisation can be dispensed with, because
>>  there's not a lot of harm done by having to fit those particular
>>  business processes to the software rather than the software to the
>>  business processes.
>>  Think doc prep, spreadsheet modellers, calendar, time-sheets, etc.
>>  But government agencies do a great many things that very few other
>>  organisations do. [snip]

At 12:43 +1100 2/3/11, Stilgherrian wrote:
>Except that there are now generic tools for modelling "business" 
>workflows. Filling in forms, validating against criteria, passing 
>through stages of approval -- all are now available as generic 
>building-blocks in these higher-level workflow tools.

C'mon Stil, you're old enough.  Remember Lotus Notes?  This isn't new.

In any case, these are still bespoke apps, not standardised apps.

They're delivered by means of a development tool that enables the 
'coder' to operate at a more abstract level, with a 'later 
generation' development tool, and to [hopefully] deliver the app more 
cheaply, faster and/or better [choose two]:
http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/SwareGenns.html (see Exhibit 4)


>Even the creation of legislation is "just" collaborative document 
>production with attached commentary and discussion.
>I question whether it's all really as different, or even unique, as 
>some people make make.

All no, some yes.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University