Target overload hits public sector IT

Public sector organisations are struggling to cope with pointless targets and are being hampered by inflexible IT systems, say researchers.

According to research by The Bathwick Group, public sector organisations are subject to performance targets far more than they were five years ago, with 75 per cent of respondents confirming that their "management by targets" burden has increased.

While 53 per cent of executives interviewed said targets have made their organisation run more efficiently, 77 per cent said there are now too many key performance indicators (KPI) - and that not all are relevant or needed.

Jonathan Steel, CEO of The Bathwick Group, said: "There wasn't a single respondent that said they've decreased the amount of reporting they've done in the last five years. There has been a remarkable increase."

He added: "Sixty-three per cent said they write reports that aren't used or read by anybody, and it would be a good idea to address that."

More than half of executives questioned admitted they were not sure whether their systems were adequate for the reporting and data access needed, while more than three-quarters said integrating applications and databases would help.

Many systems used for reporting are also inflexible and unable to respond to demand for ad hoc reports. Two out of five executives said they would have to wait a few days - or even weeks - to get a new question answered by their systems.

On top of this, while 48 per cent of respondents said the data they use is "accurate enough" for practical purposes, 23 per cent said their data was inaccurate or just didn't know.

The report said: "The wasted effort on producing reports that are no longer needed should be addressed. Senior managers should review KPIs and targets that are in place, and determine which could be cut."

On average, the 100 respondents to the Business Objects-sponsored survey spent 9.5 hours per week gathering the information they needed to do their jobs or to pass onto others.

They also estimated that, across their organisation, as much as 22 per cent of staff time is spent on gathering information for reporting purposes.

Earlier this week NHS IT director general Richard Granger criticised some of the targets he has been set.