A number of times over the past 13 years I have been asked to review an existing (and usually large-scale) IT project, figure out where it stands, and make recommendations as to how to get it back on track. I have found that a small number of questions will usually get me to the heart […]
This is a new pattern, one not explicitly called out in my original white paper (though hinted at in a few places). Summary: A client starts a large IT project that involves one or more outside firms (consultants, vendors, developers, manufacturers). Within the client organization, a champion arises (or is appointed) for this project. The […]
[Adapted from Patterns in IT Litigation: Systems Failure (1976-2000)] Having reviewed these cases and the patterns they exhibit, some practical suggestions come to mind.
[Adapted from Patterns in IT Litigation: Systems Failure (1976-2000)] Summary: The manufacturer makes some change in the functionality or configuration of the system, which is already in use. The change results in unpleasant or unintended consequences for one or more clients.
[Adapted from Patterns in IT Litigation: Systems Failure (1976-2000)] Summary: The client buys a system from the vendor. Some time later, the client discovers that the system either no longer meet its needs or that the vendor/manufacturer will no longer support it.
Classic patterns in disputed IT project: Hertz v. Accenture
Just ran across this article at the always-irreverent-but-usually-spot-on Register, an IT news site out of England. The standard patterns of a troubled IT project are so evident in this one report that I may well use it as a case study for my CS 428 (“Real-world software engineering”) class this fall. Here are some of […]
Neverending Story pattern: School District ERP system late, over-budget
A story a few days ago caught my eye, not because it was unusual, but because it follows so familiar a pattern. Here are a few excerpts from the article: MANATEE — Late nights, hefty contracts and humming computers are a norm in the district’s School Support Center, where employees are working to fix a […]
Minnesota DMV software project: Faulty Towers/Neverending Story patterns
In my 2000 white paper, “Patterns in IT Litigation: System Failure (1976-2000)” [PDF], which I researched and wrote while at PricewaterhouseCoopers, I describe six broad fact patterns to classify the types of software system implementation failure. One of those patterns I named “Faulty Towers”: The client buys the system from [or has the system developed […]
![The Meltdown/Spectre CPU bugs: a dramatic global case of the “Unintended Consequences” pattern [UPDATED 4/4/18]](http://bfwa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/intel-cpu-150x150.jpg "The Meltdown/Spectre CPU bugs: a dramatic global case of the “Unintended Consequences” pattern [UPDATED 4/4/18]")
Back in 2000, PricewaterhouseCooper published my research white paper, “Patterns in IT Litigation: Systems Failure (1976-2000)” (PDF). This paper reflected research I and my staff had done over several months on roughly 120 two- or three-party lawsuits involving information technology. I found that almost all of these lawsuits fell into one or two of six […]