Optimising ICT management for service delivery improvement in the North West Provincial Administration

Abstract

Although the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is very important in the workplace, its management is sometimes not taken seriously. ICT in the North-West Province is still viewed as only a technical tool whereby technicians are employed to fix hardware, mount projectors and install software. However, in order for ICT to function effectively, there ought to be a dedicated budget in place. It also requires skilled officials who are not only technocrats, but also management inclined. There should also be an effective ICT representation in top management structures and an effective strategy that supports business objectives of the department. As a result of ICT management not being taken seriously by senior management, in most cases, the allocation of resources will rather be channelled elsewhere. This research dealt with gaps in ICT management. The research focused on issues such as policies, skills, budget, ICT governance and infrastructure availability. It ascertained how effective ICT management processes were and whether they were enhancing service delivery. The findings were then utilised to develop a model to assist managers of ICT and business as a whole to deal with ICT efficiently. The main research question was "How can ICT management be optimised across provincial government departments in the North-West Province to enhance service delivery and lower costs?". The qualitative research method was used in collecting and analysing the data. The findings include the availability of an IT strategy that supports business objectives. This was coupled with other findings such as insufficient staff component for ICT support, insufficient budget for the implementation of ICT projects, ineffective procurement processes within the departments and outdated ICT infrastructure. The research focused primarily on ICT management and not on technical aspects. The recommendations drawn were that the provincial government should make provision for sufficient ICT budget, upgrade the underlying infrastructure , appoint IT manager at senior management level,