The Technological Plan that the current Government has set in motion is «very vague» and cannot be defined as either strategic or operational, considers the High Level Group (GAN), an entity whose mission is to provide the Association for the Promotion and Development of the Information Society (APDSI) a qualitative and quantitative assessment of government action in the IS area.
Coming from various quarters of civil society, the 15 members of GAN consider that «the lack of coherence and harmony that the plan suffers exposes the lack of integrating articulations between the programs of approach to the various sectors», can be read in document resulting from the analysis conducted by the study group.
In addition to this lack of definition, there is also a difficulty in measuring and auditing the Technological Plan, and the relationship between the goals established therein and the measures to achieve them is not clear, accuses GAN.
The study group also points out to the Plan the absence of an impact on civil society, since the industries involved do not seem to review the established measures and targets, and because they do not achieve a «sufficiently positive and motivating» public perception of the intentions of the Government. The Technological Plan also denotes «absence of leadership». «A plan with such a wide scope and with strategic objectives so important for the country, cannot be carried out without dedicated leadership, without effective powers and budgets», says GAN.
From the critical reading carried out, the APDSI study group also mentions that the Technological Plan denotes a deficient perspective of the Information Society, not explicitly recognizing it as an axis of development. «It was natural that, on a technological level, the Information Society would emerge as the core and not treated in a marginal way, as it happens», said José Dias Coelho, president of APDSI and member of GAN, in the press conference of presentation of results of the analysis conducted, at the end of today morning.
The insufficient articulation with the administrative modernization of the public sector is the last criticism, of a set of five, that the study group points to the Technological Plan promoted by the Government of José Sócrates.
Plan should be reviewed as soon as possible
In addition to the criticisms, GAN considered it appropriate to make some recommendations, including giving the Plan «an inspiring vision and a strong capacity to mobilize all civil society actors»; that of «adding a fourth Axis of Action, transversal, oriented towards the Information Society as a development axis» and that of «adjusting the entire Plan, in order to integrate the four axes of action in a consistent manner and with high levels of articulation «.
GAN also recommends Government members to detail more precisely the components of the Plan intended to be operational in its first year of effectiveness and to establish relative priorities for all the actions of the Plan, while determining the leadership of all action programs. and big projects.
As a last piece of advice, the study group also recommends the release of the new version of the Plan – if this happens.
GAN was officially created last October and the reading of the document «Technological Plan» was the first analysis conducted by it, due to the «enormous importance of which it is», he justified.
The aim of this APDSI study group is to periodically produce a position paper on a topic of national interest, relevant to the Information Society. «I believe that GAN can help the Government to improve and adjust the actions that it is developing or planning for the IS area», said José Dias Coelho.
Related News:
2005-12-15 – Carlos Zorrinho is the new national coordinator of the Technological Plan
2005-11-24 – Technological Plan is now coordinated by José Sócrates
2005-11-24 – Technological Plan approved by the Government with emphasis on three axes of action
2005-11-17 – José Tavares resigns from the Technological Plan Coordination Unit
