The missing link
Something is rotten in the IT kingdom of Quebec, Shakespeare would say. Staggering figures are floating around, like $13B for government IT. Worse still, the casualness with which hundreds of millions of dollars are tossed around. A culture thrives and sustains a system that does not deliver. No matter the number of failures, no matter the overruns identified by the Auditor General, the same routine is repeated without pause. Governments weigh heavily in our economy and spend more than all others combined; they are not neutral actors. In IT, they spend colossal sums abroad, and at the same time urge us to export, to conquer the world, to improve our trade balance—which is largely in deficit thanks to them. Small businesses, you must export, because the local market is shrinking like a withering skin. IT requires a culture—certainly absent in healthcare, where it is embryonic and chaotic, with infrastructures nearly non-existent. So much remains to be done, and we are prisoners of a model proven only as wasteful. Here we are talking only about cost overruns, without even considering quality, which is absent from the equation. In reality, nothing is delivered, but invoices are sent. That is the key: when hours are billed, there is every incentive to drag things out.
Let’s take matters into our own hands and act!
Let’s change the model without delay! The government no longer knows which tax to turn to! Small businesses, band together! The motivation lies within you, hunger drives you, and together you are stronger. You will not become “big,” but rather impressive and proud to present yourselves. Cooperative models are already emerging; engineers are proposing models to federate expertise and expand access—a “best of breed” where everyone is responsible. Let’s put dormant resources to work. Our almost unheard-of position in the system gives us the chance to see three sides of the coin: educational institutions, healthcare institutions, and us—catalysts and connectors, an essential part of the integration experience. These institutions usually lead parallel lives. We have the opportunity to be of service in healthcare, in an operational and not theoretical setting, and we intend to use this to bring the parties closer together and give them access to new pools of expertise. We will play our role as a link, as the missing link, with the Cégep de Jonquière to foster mutual understanding of recognized and studied processes. Concrete projects to improve our software are submitted to students. Now more motivated and creative at work, the students will provide institutions with close-up expertise—a gateway to autonomy.
The time is now! Let’s mind our own business!
— Jacques Gagnon, engineer, CEO of Imagem