London Technology Public Relations agency | Social Media Strategy | B2B PR | Chameleon PR

The Student Loans Company is the latest organisation to have its IT-related issues dragged across the media. Browsing the coverage it’s notable that while IT systems receive a fair amount of focus, the blame is really assigned to poor senior management.

Part of this, doubtless, is the statistic that only one in 20 phone calls were answered at the peak of the crisis in September. Phones are rarely considered IT. If a phone goes unanswered, it because there’s not enough staff to answer them. Everyone knows that, so unanswered phones aren’t an IT problem it’s a staffing issue and therefore a management concern.

But there’s also a growing realisation among non-technical journalists within national media that it’s the people and process around technology that cause problems, not the technology itself. Like unanswered phones.

There are still sections of the reporting that are toe-curlingly old school, from The Times report for instance: “New technology, supposed to manage the thousands of documents submitted to verify applications, failed at a critical point.” But there’s far more phrases (from the same Times report) such as “Management indecision and over-optimism in the scanning technology…” Still technology related, but far more aware that it isn’t the inanimate objects of technology that are to blame, but the people around the project.

The BBC quotes the NUS; “The poor leadership and management of the Student Loans Company has led to disruption and hardship for hundreds of thousands of students,” and the UCU lecturers’ union “a total fiasco from start to finish” – with failures in service that “beggar belief”.

Looking back to the comedic farce that was the opening of Terminal 5, it was staff training around the new IT system, not the system itself that was pinpointed with Willie Walsh, BA’s CEO, quoted: “We compromised on the testing regime and this impacted on operations, but this was because of delays in the completion of the building programme.”

Before the great consumer technology revolution, the tone of reporting around these types of incidents was far less sophisticated: “Computers which were initially blamed for the problems in Liverpool and Newport were due to be installed elsewhere this autumn, but this is likely to be postponed until the crisis has eased,” reported the BBC of the Passport Agency’s snafu at the end of the 90s.

Or from The Independent: “The audit office said the initial cause of the fiasco was the installation of the new computerised system at offices in Liverpool and Newport, south Wales, which delayed processing of passport applications nationwide.” This report also carries the hugely enjoyable statistic that the Passport Agency spent £16,000 on umbrellas for people left queuing in the rain for their passport. Enduring image.

Sadly, the growing realisation that it’s not ‘computers’ that are to blame but management and people around the planning, implementation and use of IT is largely just a reflection of a growing understanding of technology. In none of the stories reviewed is there noticeable pro-technology quotes from those that might be expected to stand up for IT; BCS, Gartner, large systems integrators and the like who are all conspicuous by their absence when IT disaster stories strike.

With Chameleon’s office only the flick of a match away from Monument, a small group of intrepid tech PR reptiles scaled its peak this lunchtime; 311 tightly spiraled steps, rising  48.7 metres.

It’s a fantastic trip, and during the long slog up the stairwell there are plenty of technology PR puns to be had about helicopter views, blue sky thinking and big pictures.