There are a number of lessons learned that I draw out of the experiences we've had. First, culture change is a big part of what this project is about, and you can't underestimate it with 43 different departments coming together, with 43 different ways of operating, and 43 different ways of thinking. It's an issue.
Second, and this flows from the Auditor General's observations as well, you need solid benchmarks at the start of the exercise to gauge your progress and to know what infrastructure you're inheriting. The estimates of the funding that was being spent on the infrastructure were rough. What the assets were, to a large extent, was not completely known. The service levels that were coming with the equipment were not established. In some cases there were services, but in a lot of cases there wasn't a benchmark to start.
A third lesson learned, that I can see is that, in these types of exercises and projects, it's important to invest at the outset. I'd over-invest in training people getting ready for the transformation. I'd over-invest in the tools and the processes to make sure you have all of the equipment and tools you need to jump-start and make sure of the service levels to clients. As Mr. Blaney was saying, the service levels had suffered, and you want to put safeguards in place to make sure that doesn't happen.
Finally, I'd take more time to plan to get into a deeper level of detail before launching the projects, and that's why what we're doing now is so important. We're looking at what the realistic procurement times are and what the times to do the projects are in cooperation with partners. It's an open dialogue we have. We need to know what their readiness is to move into a new data centre. They need to invest time and resources on their side to do that. In addition, for us to have all of the equipment there, the networks in place, and the security in place, is a major exercise is orchestration. Those are some of the key lessons I take out of it.
