Reply to: Another Govt Computer System Disaster

[Pogle]

*cough*

I worked on the Probation bit of it for a while, before EDS took over....sorry

[Mich the Tester]

But shirley all the programme/project managers are PRINCE 2 qualified? How could it possibly fail?

[Zippy]

But shirley all the programme/project managers are PRINCE 2 qualified? How could it possibly fail?

[suityou01]

Every government project manager or programme manager job demands experinece of working on previous government projects. No matter how much of a guru you are in the private sector, and how many multi-million pound solutions you've successfully delivered.

In other words you have to be able to screw it up as badly as they've been screwing it up ij the past.

....and people wonder where their taxes are going.

No, this means its an old boys club. If you have been PM on a government project then you are guaranteed a steady supply of government projects to Tulip up. Private sector private schmector.

[expat]

Oh good, I guess they'll be needing testers when they restart the project.

Doesn't mean they'll get them. They needed competent project managers when they started the project, but they didn't get them.

[PM-Junkie]

Every government project manager or programme manager job demands experinece of working on previous government projects. No matter how much of a guru you are in the private sector, and how many multi-million pound solutions you've successfully delivered.

In other words you have to be able to screw it up as badly as they've been screwing it up ij the past.

....and people wonder where their taxes are going.

[pmeswani]

Erase Data Studiously?

Nope. Every Day Sucks.

[sasguru]

That report could have been condensed to the three words I've underlined.

Indeed. Until the political cronyism endemic in British business is replaced by a genuine meritocracy, banks will go down, IT projects will fail and the economy will be tulipe.

[DimPrawn]

Ends Disasterously Sh it

[Mich the Tester]

According to the NAO it was the senior civils servants who were supposed to be running it who screwed up, rather than the development teams. Out of 8 causes of Govt IT project failure identified by the NAO ond OGC the NOMIS managed to hit 7 of them.

1. Lack of clear senior management and Ministerial ownership and leadership

2. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management

3. Lack of understanding of and contact with the supply industry at senior levels of the organisation

4. Lack of effective project team integration between clients, the supplier team and the supply chain

5. Lack of clear link between the project and the organisation’s key strategic priorities, including agreed measures of success

6. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders

7. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money

I'm no PM but even I can see that this is basic stuff.

That report could have been condensed to the three words I've underlined.

[BlightyBoy]

Three letters.

EDS.

HTH.

Erase Data Studiously?

[DaveB]

According to the NAO it was the senior civils servants who were supposed to be running it who screwed up, rather than the development teams. Out of 8 causes of Govt IT project failure identified by the NAO ond OGC the NOMIS managed to hit 7 of them.

1. Lack of clear senior management and Ministerial ownership and leadership

2. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management

3. Lack of understanding of and contact with the supply industry at senior levels of the organisation

4. Lack of effective project team integration between clients, the supplier team and the supply chain

5. Lack of clear link between the project and the organisation’s key strategic priorities, including agreed measures of success

6. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders

7. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money

I'm no PM but even I can see that this is basic stuff.

[DimPrawn]

Three letters.

EDS.

HTH.

[BlightyBoy]

But the report did point out that National Offender Management Service has managed to reduce the numbers of databases used from 220 to three, and that it had recently made progress in getting the project back on track.

In so far as the other 217 databases, backed-up to DVD ROM and subsequently deleted are currently for sale on Bridge Street Market, the proceeds from which will be used to offset the spiralling project costs.

[Mich the Tester]

Oh good, I guess they'll be needing testers when they restart the project.