As we read more, it became apparent that 14,600 patient discharge summaries had not been sent to GPs due to an error with a records management system.

As an IT consultancy that works with many NHS Trusts and clinical trial organisations, we found ourselves asking "how did this happen?"

At a time when many organisations are undertaking digital transformation projects, why do many IT or BPM projects fail? At ePC, we do not believe they fail (you’d expect us to say that, right?) but, over the years, we have identified a number of red flags that need to be addressed early for projects to be successful.

These red flags can be found during both the planning - and build – phase of an IT project.

What is the Digital Outcomes and Specialists 3 framework?

Operated by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the framework enables the public sector to procure specialist teams, or experienced IT professionals, to design, build, test and deliver software applications and digital services.

The framework has 2,953 suppliers, with many of them SMEs.

What is the Cyber Essentials scheme?

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common internet threats and make the UK a safer place to conduct business online.

We've spent the last few weeks reviewing the latest version and found it comes packed with new features and improvements.

I read your article on document management (see issue 285, p102) with interest, as I run an IT consultancy specialising in data capture and workflow. Eddie Ginja recommended that “business should identify exactly what the business need is”, which is good advice, but he goes on to recommend creating a list of requirements, what you want it to do and how much you want to spend; this is the point at which I would urge engaging with likely vendors.

All too often, we vendors are given soulless lists of requirements and asked to put a tick against the ones we can do.

All too often, we vendors are given soulless lists of requirements and asked to put a tick against the ones we can do. If we tick the right boxes and it progresses, more often than not we find the list of features was created without any real understanding of what technology can offer or how best it can be used to meet the business objectives.

That’s a shame, as it’s that guidance that companies such as ours provide. Engaging with vendors gives customers the opportunity to plan a better solution and allows vendors to prove their worth even before money has changed hands.