Don't Be Mad, Just Leave
The UK National Health Service (NHS) is in the midst of a £12.4 billion IT project meltdown, which has been called the “greatest IT disaster in history”.
Beyond IT Failure
Michael Krigsman is a recognized authority on the causes and prevention of IT failures.
Michael Krigsman
Michael Krigsman is an internationally recognized analyst, strategy advisor, and authority on enterprise software leadership, CIO innovation, and social business. Interact with Michael on Twitter at @mkrigsman.
Latest Posts
"Reckless"
A report by the Work Foundation in the UK is sharply critical of public sector ICT (information and communication technology) projects, saying that “too much recklessness blights government IT projects.”The press release includes the following tidbits:Contrary to the stereotype, public sector managers have sometimes been too gung-ho in their attitude to risk when developing and implementing information technology projects, wasting many millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money in the process.
Implementation Success!
Well, this is unusual. New Age Electronics has promoted Sam Changizi, its Director of Information Technology, to the position of CIO.
Productized Consulting Services
Hourly billing arrangements are typical on IT projects. However, open-ended billing can create an incentive for consultants to work lots of hours, potentially increasing project duration and cost beyond what may strictly be required.
Reducing Implementation Costs
Vinnie Mirchandani posted an insightful comment on this blog related to software implementation time and cost. He correctly points out that even so-called “successful” implementations often run substantially over-budget.
Ten Steps from Doom
ComputerWorld offers a ten-point prescription for rescuing a failed project. From the article:Denial can also come into play.
Giant Steps
Dear Gentle Reader: Please forgive the digression, but this post is not about project failures.Occasionally something comes along which I want to share.
Open Source ERP: Training Doesn't Matter??
The following quote is taken from an article explaining key differences between open source and commercial ERP software:Open Source ERP does not require much training. The source code is more than a training manual.
Consultant Addiction
Dan Tynan writes in InfoWorld about consultants who seem to hang around forever and suggests methods for escape. You know the type: they rack up endless billing for their clients without much to show for it.
UK Health Program: a Very Sick Patient
The National Health Service is in the middle of a massive ”£12bn IT programme designed to keep electronic records of 30 million NHS patients throughout the UK.” This program has been ongoing since 2002 and has been called the greatest IT disaster in history.