Reposted, cos it bounced ;) Mike
On Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 13:23 mike smith <[email protected]> wrote: > Another article > > > https://www.itnews.com.au/news/fines-victorias-it-woes-force-21m-write-down-534151 > > On Wed, Nov 13, 2019, 22:44 Ken Schaefer <[email protected]> wrote: > >> This works for building a bridge, when you have “firm foundations” on >> which to build upon aka what are the immovable requirements and >> constraints. Many infrastructure projects run into the same problems as IT >> projects - overruns due to changing requirements, or a lack of due >> diligence re requirements. >> >> >> >> At the same time, analysis has its own costs – the cost of employing >> people to keep examining details, and the opportunity cost of forgone >> benefits deferred. >> >> >> >> What I see a lot of in these messages is casting blame onto other people >> (e.g. PMs in this case). Most PMs work within broader enterprise >> constraints (like confidence around cost/time/effort, in order to get >> funding approved). SMEs need to play their part in ensuring that the right >> level of information goes to PMs, in the broader context of “getting stuff >> done” >> >> >> >> Regards >> >> Ken >> >> >> >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On >> Behalf Of *[email protected] >> *Sent:* Monday, 28 October 2019 9:20 AM >> *To:* 'ozDotNet' <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* RE: [OT] Fines Victoria crisis deepens >> >> >> >> I think one of the biggest issues is that so many project managers still >> think you can plan IT projects like you plan building a bridge. The >> difference with a bridge is that you can specify what’s needed, and it’s >> unlikely to change before you finish building the bridge. >> >> >> >> Unfortunately though, that’s also how the people funding it look at it. >> They want to know what it will cost before they start. >> >> >> >> Somehow, we have to get project planning to match reality. At present, >> when there are variations from the plan, that’s seen as a problem, and seen >> as unexpected. But the reality is that it’s totally expected. The problem >> was the idea that bridge-style planning is appropriate. >> >> >> >> Regards, >> >> >> >> Greg >> >> >> >> Dr Greg Low >> >> >> >> 1300SQLSQL (1300 775 775) office | +61 419201410 mobile│ +61 3 8676 4913 >> fax >> >> SQL Down Under | Web: www.sqldownunder.com >> <https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqldownunder.com%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csspahelp%40microsoft.com%7C1f0ea4d6b97e4d897f3708d666d1e890%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636809449091516274&sdata=SLHeEGAMmWUY5YIwcC4oAPYr%2F9RIZdi4MNASsdzwX2I%3D&reserved=0> >> |http://greglow.me >> <https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgreglow.me%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csspahelp%40microsoft.com%7C1f0ea4d6b97e4d897f3708d666d1e890%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636809449091526278&sdata=IU8tnAITCjBxWafi3A9XpO9lF3PIwZJ8ad3t36lnxvs%3D&reserved=0> >> >> >> >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On >> Behalf Of *Ken Schaefer >> *Sent:* Sunday, 27 October 2019 9:38 PM >> *To:* ozDotNet <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* RE: [OT] Fines Victoria crisis deepens >> >> >> >> Depends on how your measure success. >> >> >> >> By the typical bottom-line, most projects aren’t “successes”. However, >> lots of organisations have: >> >> 1. Arbitrary limits on how much contingency can be included – which >> then doesn’t reflect the true level of uncertainty in the project >> 2. Requirements change >> 3. Vendors, systems integrators etc. go bust, change direction or >> what-have-you >> 4. Your project competes with everyone else’s for scarce capital, so >> everyone has an incentive to downplay cost, and upsell benefits >> 5. Technological cost estimates can be done relatively accurately, >> but large-scale projects include significant organisational change which >> is >> much harder to estimate/cost up-front. >> >> >> >> By my guess, about 15-20% of large IT projects ($50-100m+) are >> successful. Maybe 20-30% are real failures. Everything else is in a bit of >> a grey area where they are failures based on initial cost/time/features >> criteria, but might have been successful if business cases were allowed to >> be more realistic. >> >> >> >> Regards, >> >> Ken >> >> >> >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On >> Behalf Of *[email protected] >> *Sent:* Wednesday, 23 October 2019 2:25 PM >> *To:* 'ozDotNet' <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* RE: [OT] Fines Victoria crisis deepens >> >> >> >> Not sure about that. I endlessly hear that the success ratio for large IT >> projects is around 30%, not up around 70 or 80%. >> >> >> >> It’s quite appalling really. >> >> >> >> Regards, >> >> >> >> Greg >> >> >> >> Dr Greg Low >> >> >> >> 1300SQLSQL (1300 775 775) office | +61 419201410 mobile│ +61 3 8676 4913 >> fax >> >> SQL Down Under | Web: www.sqldownunder.com >> <https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqldownunder.com%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csspahelp%40microsoft.com%7C1f0ea4d6b97e4d897f3708d666d1e890%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636809449091516274&sdata=SLHeEGAMmWUY5YIwcC4oAPYr%2F9RIZdi4MNASsdzwX2I%3D&reserved=0> >> |http://greglow.me >> <https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgreglow.me%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csspahelp%40microsoft.com%7C1f0ea4d6b97e4d897f3708d666d1e890%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636809449091526278&sdata=IU8tnAITCjBxWafi3A9XpO9lF3PIwZJ8ad3t36lnxvs%3D&reserved=0> >> >> >> >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On >> Behalf Of *mike smith >> *Sent:* Wednesday, 23 October 2019 12:45 PM >> *To:* ozDotNet <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [OT] Fines Victoria crisis deepens >> >> >> >> Success stories don't seem to make it into MSM. pity, because you'd >> think there's more successful outcomes than failures >> >> >> >> On Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 12:24 Greg Keogh <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Interesting front page article in The Age newspaper today >> <https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/fines-victoria-system-collapses-leaving-massive-hole-in-state-budget-20191022-p5333d.html> >> about a Victorian government IT disaster. IT disasters are routine (I'm >> sure we've all caused a few!) but it's interesting that they actually name >> the software as VIEW from a company called Civica. The article is a bit >> vague about what's actually wrong, it just says "[it] doesn't work", "the >> system was absolute chaos" and systems are not "talking to" their >> computers. Does anyone have inside gossip about what really happened? >> >> >> >> There was another vast IT disaster a few years ago related to the >> education system I think, where dodgy contracts were being awarded to >> mates, and I think the loss ran into the hundreds of millions. That story >> vanished from the news and I never found out what happened. >> >> >> >> *Greg K* >> >>
