Wednesday, August 24, 2005

More governmental computer screw up, and they want us to trust them with ID cards

DWP Computers crash

This is just another example of how the government is so unable to get computer systems working at all, and in this example, the people who suffered were those whose need was the greatest. By not having their money, it left a lot of people

IT problems torment Jobcentre Plus staff

This is the DWPs CMS2 (Customer Management System) and it apparently is to make efficiencies in the system of those who need to claim. There is one rather large problem that in true typical governmental style they have forgotten, there is a sizeable percentage of the population who are deaf, and thus aren’t able to use the phones, need to rely on minicoms, or even face to face. This system has removed the face to face element until later into the system, which stuffs up those who can’t hear on the phone, and it is well known that the DWP doesn’t have much in the way of minicom systems, in fact, it is a known fact that most offices don’t even have one, and in a lot of the call centres, they have no-one who knows how to use it. That is good; another way the government can make sure that those who need help are excluded. Maybe the DRC should be investigating this, cause it will cause a headache in the future, for sure.

This government is well known for having serious problems with IT projects and it wants us to give it another chance with the ID cards to waste even more money for an IT which hasn’t been proven and is filled with problems.

It makes me think of the time in the US where the scientists managed to get Ronald Reagan to pay for all manner of projects that were never likely to see the light of day, because they were a technology that was so in its infancy and not even provable, but they managed to convince him that it would work. Well, one has to remember he wasn’t the brightest spark in the box, but even so – Stars wars, having satellites to destroy missiles, mmmm, that was going to work….

But back to the point, this government is bamboozled by a bunch of overpaid consultants whom never seem to deliver and see the government as a cash cow for their businesses, and each and every time the government gets screwed. Maybe it is time the government had it is own software development department, in-house, easier to control, and will probably be better than the overpaid consultants.

3 comments:

Klite said...

I know of a malaysian company that wants to put in a tender for the ID project and I had to warn them that it would be a nasty political project with little cooperation and they would be carrying the political can for any and every problem. suprisingly they said they did not know the extent of the problem and are now a little annoyed at their consultants for the obvious and a littel worried about the outcome. may explain why they were so keen to get me to work for them !!!
bro

Speakers Corner said...

You would be wise to get them to avoid the project, they might well be able to squeeze the government for a lot of money, but they will certainly get tarnished when it goes belly up, as it will certainly.

It will be a real boon for the companies that win the bids to start with, they will get so much money, because the governments bad record with IT projects, and their refusal to allow the national audit office to check the contracts. See the PPP of the tube for an example of the sheer screw ups with this government

Anonymous said...

I'm not convinced we DON'T have satelites up there that can shoot down missiles..

I'm not a conspiracy nut or something, but there has to a be a lot of crap the US ( and other) governments have that we don't know about.
Hell, we didn't know about the U2 spy plane till one crashed.
Along the same lines of a pretty popular theory that the speed of some US planes is a LOT higher than they admit, a 'failed' program is a very good way to cover a rather successful one you'd like to keep quiet..

just a thought.