3.13 The Department's IT approach is an interim one, intended to provide IT services to support business processes until unified administration has been established and longer-term plans developed. Major business change would be delivered through the subsequent systems being considered for 2007 onwards when contracts expire for Libra and existing Crown and county court IT systems. To that end, the Department has acted to make all contracts coterminous and, where possible, to provide the flexibility needed to phase migration to the new arrangements.
3.14 Initial scoping work for IT provision after 2007 began in 2002 and this work will be completed by the end of the 2002-03 financial year. Current plans involve major business change in the civil courts on an earlier timescale than 2007 subject to financial provision. It is equally important that the Department does not wait until 2007 before considering what changes are necessary to current procedures to improve the efficiency and effective delivery of criminal court services and to rationalise administration across the different elements of the new unified structure.
3.15 IT development offers the prospect of looking at procedures afresh and to come up with different ways of doing things that are easier, quicker and more effective. It is important that these opportunities are not lost by delaying consideration of these matters until the contracts for the next generation IT systems are due to be let. The identification of system improvements always requires careful thought and the active engagement of all interested parties to ensure that their needs and requirements are met. This process needs to be started early and the work being undertaken on the scope is a necessary starting point. The lead times are long and matters need to be resolved well before the next IT contracts are to be let if the new technology is to deliver the benefits expected. Changing procedures during negotiations or after contracts are let would be inefficient, costly and unlikely to be fully effective.