MNSure, the state’s catastrophically badly-executed health insurance portal, has hired Deloitte Consulting to try to fix the state’s ailing website.
Pity Deloitte:
Deloitte was a top contender in 2012 for the contract to build the online health exchange, whose rollout was marred by ongoing technical problems. It has built successful state-based insurance exchanges in Connecticut, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Washington.
Yeah, good luck with that. It’s much easier to build something right the first time (kudos, Deloitte) than to tear apart and rebuild someone else’s botched job.
Deloitte, Accenture and all of the rest of the big CPA and “Consulting” firms need to stick to crunching numbers! In over 23years in the IT industry, I have never seen any of them successfully complete an IT project, let alone complete one on time or without being over budget. Further, in most cases, they abuse their clients by bringing in scores of new employees, from all over the country, to be trained on that client’s dime.
The article notes that Deloitte was “Successful” in CT, RI and WA. But not whether any were on time or on budget.
You know the old saying: you can have it done fast, cheap or right. PIck two.
@Boss: which invites the question of whether you have ever seen an IT project successfully completed on time and on or under budget by anybody. I’ve heard of such things. But then I’ve also heard of unicorns.
Sometimes companies or individuals who are successful in the private sector cannot work with the mess that is gov’t.
-Famous Dave Anderson was head of Bureau of Indian Affairs for a short while, but got the hell out of there. Couldn’t believe how messed up it was.
-Another big accounting firm was supposed to audit the Dept of Education. After doing some work, they backed out. They said there are no records and they have no clue where all the money went.
-Then there is the constuction firm for the St Croix River bridge. The lowest bidder was turned down as the gov’t didn’t like the makeup of skin hues of their employees.
whether you have ever seen an IT project successfully completed on time and on or under budget by anybody
On time and on budget, yes – but it was a hash.
Over time but on budget and it worked well: Yes.
Over time, over budget and a complete fiasco? Yes.
I’ve often heard from my contemporaries that government technology is about 10 years behind the private sector. If this is FACT, then the question becomes whether this website will be up and running in time for the bankruptcy petition.
According to the PiPress, fully 3/4 of mncare clients pay little to nothng. They should rename it MoochCare. Pay up suckas.
I’ve often heard from my contemporaries that government technology is about 10 years behind the private sector.
I’ve heard and read anecdotes that the FAA is about 30 years behind WRT air traffic control, and they have no clue when they’ll be able to start ANY upgrading, or even how.
But you gotta give them some kudos for keeping it together with spit, bailing wire and duct tape for this long.
Tomisino, it’s me zombie Hugo Chávez your Comrade ‘in arms’! It’s been too long my good friend! Who can ever forget those long hot summer nights, the two of us spooning together under the jungle canopy? Good times indeed my revolutionary friend.
Very soon El Jefe will be joining me here at my new posting. I thought you would appreciate me using the picture of El Jefe and you together. Those were the days of revolutionary fever my friend!
The Prince of Darkness aka the Boss (‘same as the old Boss’) has seen my greatness and has assigned to me my very own ring of fire. Initially I was assigned to planning, where I drew up a plan for a ring of fire for all the Jihadis that are being directed here. The ring is constructed as a maze that has no end, at each intersection there is a placard which reads: “40 Virgins Turn Here”. The Boss thought that was a good one, so now he has me in charge of recruitment, which brings me to you.
The Boss has his eye on you Tomasino. It was just the other day that I mentioned to him just how well the Venezuelan economy is running and what a huge role my personal friend Comrade Swift had in it’s success. I also told the Boss that you would be well suited for J. Edgar Hoover’s ring of fire. This is where J. Edgar has a walk-in closet filled with dresses. It was designed to be an endless selection of dresses (“to infinity and beyond”). I thought you might enjoy working with J. Edgar as his personal valet. Although the Boss seems to think that position should be held for Rick Santorum. Perhaps you might be better suited to rewiring (once again) the Green School bus used in a campaign some time ago. Only this time, the work will never end. Personally, I’d hold out on J. Edgar’s valet position.
See you soon!
Your comrade in arms Hugo Chávez
Comrade Swift? The same T. Swift who moved from MN to South Carolina? Like we’d think it is a coincidence that South Carolina is closer to Cuba and Venezuela than Minnesota is?
I had “Comrade Swift” pegged as a commie long ago. He drives only union-made motorcycles.
Could this be the famous Paul Wellstone green campaign bus Hugo is referring to? Comrade Swift indeed….
mnbubba; If a project had anything to do with Siebel, SAP or Oracle, then no f’in’ way! That said, I was involved in a couple of data center consolidation projects in the late 90s that went smooth as glass and came in under budget. I have to give credit to the only two women on the team, two if the sharpest tech process people that I have ever met. Their efforts and ability to get things done, made them rock stars. Maybe the fact that they were both smokin’ hot to boot, had something to do with it.
BillC, remember that the average private company large IT project runs 50% over budget, 10% over schedule, and delivers 50% less than was expected (at least according to McKinsey, and I think they’re overstating results). And this is in an environment where folks are fired for failing.
Contrast that to government work. Nobody in government is ever fired short of killing their supervisor. Add to the fact that nobody in government is actually doing any of the work, they’re just writing the specs … and rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting. Throw in the fact that actually purchasing hardware is damned slow and a government IT project that functions is a rarity.
My brother contracted to the DMV in a large Midwestern state a few years ago. In a department of 20 people there were 2 consultants, and the consultants wrote 97% of the code. He told me straight out that without the “help” of the government employees they could have finished the project in 6 months rather than the 4 years it actually took. In fact, they finished it in 6 months after the department manager and senior technician got transferred and before the new manager could figure out what was going on. It went live with almost no testing since they needed a political waiver to deliver it 18 months late and they were coming up with having to ask for another waiver. Now they need to update some things and they’re trying to get him back but he’s running as far from that place as he can. It was a great place to hide during the depths of the Obama Depression, but these days there are greener pastures.