ARE Futures Fujitsu technical assurance review

4. Scope

The Report has a technical focus and addresses four aspects of the IT Platform, namely - Architecture; Application Development; Infrastructure and Service Delivery. The Report recognises that the Futures Programme that delivered the IT Platform had serious issues and faced a number of significant challenges throughout its term, but the Report does not analyse historic causes. Instead it focuses on the current IT Platform and addresses processes that are in place that apply architectural governance; add new functionality to the IT Platform; maintain the underlying infrastructure; and manage what has now been an operational service for over two years.

Issues relating to the Futures Programme as a whole are best understood from the Audit Scotland Reports:-

Initial Report October 2014
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/report/the-201314-audit-of-the-scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-common-agricultural-policy

Update Report May 2016
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/report/common-agricultural-policy-futures-programme-an-update

Further Update Report June 2017
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/report/common-agricultural-policy-futures-programme-further-update

As responsibilities in the four areas of Architecture; Application Development; Infrastructure and Service Delivery changed throughout the Programme, the Review has not assigned any criticism to any party, nor does it suggest which party - Scottish Government ( SG) or contractors - should be responsible for the suggested remedial and improvement actions. That is a matter for SG and its contractors to consider. The Report remarks:-

"This report seeks to avoid any form of criticism and, in identifying and stating issues, seeks to create a series of goals for remediation going forward."