Interesting People mailing list archives

more on 500 MIllion and Counting


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 18:50:39 -0400

I bid soc sec modernization.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Paul Julien <p.julien () centurytel net>
Date: July 12, 2004 3:13:56 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] 500 MIllion and Counting
Reply-To: Paul Julien <p.julien () centurytel net>

Dave:

OK let's see who has the biggest software development horror story, as
estimated by dollar loss.
I'll start off the competition by nominating the FAA and the FAA air traffic control system project. I don't have a good estimate, but many estimates of the loss run in the $3B range. This figure needs to be increased to correct for inflation over the years. I think this beats the Denver International
Airport baggage-handling computer system fiasco.

Can anyone top this?

Paul Julien

*


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
To: "Ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2004 7:26 AM
Subject: [IP] 500 MIllion and Counting




Begin forwarded message:

From: Tom Gray <tom_gray_grc () yahoo com>
Date: July 10, 2004 6:00:25 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net, tom_gray_grc () yahoo com
Subject: 500 MIllion and Counting


This may be of interest for your IP list.

It is not mentioned directly but this $500 million
dollar computer system owned by the Ontario government
is incapable of adjusting the social assitance rates.
Receipients will be receving two lump sum payments,
one this summer and one in the fall, to make up the 3%
increase that the government has decided on.

How can a computer system cost $500,000,000? Just how
can training by itself consume hundreds of millions of
dollars? Why if a program cost $500,000,000 to produce
does it not work?
============================

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/
Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1089411015907&call_pageid=968332188492&col= 9
68793972154

==========================
How costly computer sparked a `nightmare'
Social services system `inflexible from Day 1,' expert
says

Government estimates fixing flaws could top $10
million

RICHARD BRENNAN AND ROBERT BENZIE
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

An ideologically driven, cash-strapped Conservative
administration wanted to reduce social assistance
costs and increase the role of the private sector in
government.

To that end on Jan. 27, 1997, then premier Mike Harris
opted to enter what was touted as an innovative
agreement with Andersen Consulting to revamp the
Ministry of Community and Social Services' outdated
computer system.

But a two-year independent study of the $500 million
computer system has concluded that it has been
seriously flawed from the very beginning and virtually
incapable of making timely changes.

That became clear when it was learned the system,
responsible for distributing welfare and disability
benefits to 670,000 Ontarians, is unable to calculate
a 3 per cent increase, the first rise in 11 years.

It's going to cost at least $10 million to fix the
problem - $3 million to correct the computer system
and an additional $7 million to test it.



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