Judith Speight, Accelerating Auckland, New Zealand
jspeight@ittwrkz.co.nz

Speight, J. (2007, Jun), SoDIS Meets Accelerating Auckland. Bulletin of Applied Computing and Information Technology Vol. 5, Issue 1. ISSN 1176-4120. Retrieved from

1. INTRODUCTION

Accelerating Auckland is a programme of work seeking to ensure that the potential growth of the ICT industry in the Auckland region is not constrained by a shortage of people with the required skills by:

• Designing ongoing mechanisms for collaborative engagement and fostering collaboration between ICT enterprises and Tertiary Education Organizations (TEOs) in the Auckland region,
• Establishing and managing the ongoing mechanism for collaborative engagement,
• Better alignment of the programmes offered by TEOs with the skill needs of ICT enterprises in the region,
• Developing and implementing strategies designed to increase the participation and completion rates of Maori and Pacific students as well as other ethnic groups in ICT programmes,
• Promoting ICT programmes and careers with different student populations.

The initiative is governed by the Accelerating Auckland Taskforce comprising representatives of the ICT industry along with those of the TEOs and central and local government agencies.

Accelerating Auckland has been catalysed with funding from the Tertiary Education Commission.

2. STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION

An initial step in the founding of Accelerating Auckland was the design and establishment of an ongoing mechanism for collaboration.

A review of successful collaborative models in New Zealand and overseas, together with discussions with key stakeholders led to the development of the following criteria for assessing the optimal approach to a collaborative mechanism:

1. The purpose of the collaborative mechanism (e.g. broad or specific, commercial or non-commercial, transitional or ongoing);
2. The nature of the activities being pursued and the extent to which intellectual property is created;
3. The breadth of the interests represented;
4. The sustainability mix and nature of funding/revenue;
5. The extent and nature of the support (governance, management and administration) required to undertake the activities;
6. The presence or otherwise of other collaborative mechanisms in the industry.

Three broad options were identified and analysed against the criteria:

1. The creation of a separate legal entity (a company, incorporated society or charitable trust);
2. The creation of a taskforce;
3. Attachment to an existing legal entity.

Following due consideration the taskforce approach was selected as the format for collaboration on the basis that this is an appropriate option in the event that:

1. The purpose supports but is not directly linked to commercial objectives nor is it integral to the delivery of specific government/territorial authority policies;
2. The activities are not product/sales focused nor directly support specific government/territorial authority initiatives;
3. The interests being served are a mix of commercial and government/territorial authority;
4. The funding available is contestable, finite and time-bound;
5. The activities do not require a substantial governance/management infrastructure other than project management;
6. There are other collaborative mechanisms in the market that could ultimately take responsibility for any follow-up activities beyond the initial funding period and project duration.

Taskforce members were engaged within a collaborative participation model based on the following principles:

• Inclusivity – participation is on the basis of willingness to engage.
• Flexibility – no preconceptions for project inclusions.   
• Responsiveness - representatives collaboratively establish best regional outcomes in the context of collective requirements.
• Equity –  an accountable & representative governance structure, an invitation to all interested parties to engage in the process.
• Synergy – enhancing outcomes through partnership with other regions.

3. PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS

The Accelerating Auckland Taskforce includes representatives from:-

• Tertiary Education Organizations – Auckland University of Technology (AUT), University of Auckland, Massey University, Manukau Institute of Technology, Unitec New Zealand, ACE, Open Polytechnic, Intuto, Media Design School.
• ICT Industry:  Beachhead, Cisco, Cogita, Datacom, Fernbow, ITT WRKZ,  Mai FM, Microsoft, Martin Jenkins, Orion Systems.
• Central Government Agencies:  Department of Labour (DoL), Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FRST), Ministry of Economic Development (MED).
• Organizations representing the ICT sector:  New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS), ICT NZ, New Zealand Software Association (NZSA), Women in Technology (WIT).
• Economic Development Organisations : Hui Taumata, AucklandPlus. 

4. APPLICATION OF SoDIS

It is felt that the SoDIS™ (Software Development Impact Statement) process could lend itself as a suitable approach to conduct a risk audit of the project. The SoDIS process offers a systematic assessment of the impact of the project’s tasks on both the direct and indirect stakeholders based on a framework of moral and ethical principles.  It can help to categorise and prioritise the risks and concerns of the project and to highlight potential solutions to them.

Copyright © 2007 Judith Speight
The author(s) assign to NACCQ and educational non-profit institutions a non-exclusive licence to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The author(s) also grant a non-exclusive licence to NACCQ to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web (prime sites and mirrors) and in printed form within the Bulletin of Applied Computing and Information Technology. Authors retain their individual intellectual property rights.

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