An Open Source Skunkworks

‘Skunkworks’ is a term widely used in business, engineering, and technical fields to describe a group tasked with working on advanced innovative projects, with a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy. Similar approaches are used in software development and referred to as 'agile' development and 'rapid prototyping'. Other 'teamy' sounding phrases like “scrums” are used to give meaning to the kind of unbridled digital creativity.

If you couple this natural human drive to be free from rules with the world-wide open source software phenomenon, you could have a formula to re-engage clinicians and developers in meaningful and productive activity, which could help to reenergise UK Healthcare Software Plc. It is this kind of thinking that is driving the coalition government's approach to IT. The Cabinet Office has created its own skunkworks group, which operates alongside the innovation hub and other new and interesting initiatives announced in the Government ICT Strategy.