"Martin" wrote in message
news:5dq7c4pohj0lp77d60mvjge78lpat9kasu@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 14:15:13 +0100, "Keith Willshaw"
>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Martin" wrote in message
>>news:bte7c4lh5gqpbi93vi20ns5o6aq83u9kk8@4ax.com...
>>> On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 11:25:10 +0100, "Keith Willshaw"
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>
>>>>
>>>>As for having them build a database the record of government run IT
>>>>projects is abysmal
>>>
>>> Better get it right. It's private industry that screws up software
>>> contracts in
>>> UK. The government places the contracts, private industry screws them
>>> up.
>>
>>Now given that most commercial organisations also place contracts
>>with outside contractors and those projects have a much better
>>success rate there's obviously some other factor at work.
>
> Not the same contractors and not the same size of contract.
>
I dont of any contractors that refuse work because its either private
or public sector, the company I work for certainly doesnt. We sell
infrastructure software to both public and private sector companies
>>
>>The current NHS system fiaso is a direct result of the project planning
>>and
>>directions originating from government.IT organisation which was supposed
>>to be overseeing and controlling the development.
>
> Project planning is to blame and not the industrial consortia that can;t
> meet
> those plans?
>
If you set impossible goals, continually alter the requirements and
dont put into place a control system utilising agreed mileposts any
software development can and probably will fail. There are some
companies in the public sector who are VERY good at defining
and controlling software development scope. Electricte de France
is one I have had dealings with personally. The reports I have seen from
both public and private sources suggest that the civil servants responsible
for the NHS IT reform made a right bog of it.
>>
>>They failed miserably , for example they failed to recognise the inability
>>of iSoft
>>to deliver a working system in a timely manner despite warnings from
>>development
>>partners such as Accenture warning the project leaders that they had no
>>'no believeable plan for software releases'
>>
>>> The private sector contracts for UK IT projects are abysmal, something
>>> to
>>> do
>>> with MrsT's relationship with Ross Perrot and his ownership of EDS.
>>>
>>
>>Mrs T had been out of power for several years before the contracts for the
>>NHS
>>system were written. Try and find another scapegoat there's a good chap
>
> EDS were still getting contracts until Nu Labor kicked them out.
>
EDS is not a firm I would choose to do business with or work for but
its worth noting that nu labour gave them the contract for the MOD
defence information infrastructure project in 2005. You cant blame maggie
for that one :)
Oh by the way guess how well that project is going. Last I heard
the roll out on the first site was a complete fiasco.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Believe it or not many IT projects implemented by NHS staff are a
>>> success.
>>> --
>>
>>I know that they are but they tend to be limited local implementations.
>>The last cost I saw quoted for the NHS system was that it had reached
>>13 billion pounds and still wasnt fully functional.
>
> Something to do with the rotten industrial consortia that bids for these
> big
> contracts.
>
More to do with poor control IMHO
>>The original estimates
>>were around 2.3 billion, by the time the contracts were awarded that had
>>increased to £6 billion.
>
> You don't mention the contracts that were terminated without payment
> because of
> abysmal performance.
Some were indeed terminated, but the companies still received billions
of pounds. It should never have got that far.
Keith
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