County I.T. Department has failed to learn the 6 P’s

The third report out of the office of the Orange County Performance Auditor offers a scathing look into the failures of the County Information Technology Department. The report points to some very big problems in the department and demonstrates the the department’s leader has failed to learn the most basic of management principles I call the 6 P’s. Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Production.

The Register’s Jennifer Muir has more details in her OC Watchdog story Audit: Poor planning, accountability at county I.T.

A third scathing audit into the county’s information technology department has identified even more problems, including two costly projects that county staffers say are not even useful to them.

The audit, released today, describes a department that’s poorly organized, avoids accountability and fails to adequately disclose its spending internally and to county supervisors. It also calls out some strengths, including offering training opportunities and employing a knowledgeable staff that is responsive to customer needs.

The 108-page audit was initiated by county supervisors and is the third such probe into the IT department by Performance Auditor Steve Danley. The first audit identified $45 million in no-bid contracts over a four-year period. The second found that the county spent $842,000on a failed IT plan. In the final audit, Danely tackles the department’s operational readiness, performance measurements and communications.

Union leader Nick Berardino, a longtime critic of the county’s information technology spending and strategies, called the report “an accurate portrait of the floating shipwreck people like to refer to as the county IT program.” And he called for the county to hold Chief Information Officer Satish Ajmani accountable.

“I think we should thank Satish for his contributions and begin to explore new leadership,” Berardino said.

Read her full story here.