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Not wanting to call you a point-haired-boss, but: "clerk opens digital file, reviews attached floor plannings and previous tax filings/business plans (or the s

Not wanting to call you a point-haired-boss, but: "clerk opens digital file, reviews attached floor plannings and previous tax filings/business plans (or the system automatically has the flag "this is a small business" attached), clicks on either approve or deny button, system automatically sends paperwork to the applicant." Sounds almost exactly like the sort of comment that will emerge from a PHB when it is suggested that a proper business requirement spec and functional spec is needed. I imagine the number of edge cases involved in"reviews attached floor plannings and previous tax filings/business plans" could be rather terrifying.

Turukawa 7y ago
They also have to check what's happening in other authorities. From experience, there is no standardisation of anything, not of definitions, data structure, methods of data management. Government data systems are archaic, so doing those cross-authority tests to see whether business qualify for reliefs is real slow. I'd love to see a standard schema for rates data, but that's unlikely.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  The other day on software architecture thread someone mentioned how to solve a part of this problem: requirements on software architecture, which get used in bidding. Software companies are very unhappy about it, because it means they won't get to charge the government several hundred times for the same solution, but the result has a good chance to be interoperable with other systems under similar requirements. The thread is here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20786810 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20786810.
mschuster91 7y ago
Edge cases can always be handled more extensively. My post was aimed at the 99% open/approve/shut cases that make up the bulk of stuff. Basically, free humans from pointless stuff that can readily be automated and use their valuable time to do stuff where human knowledge is required.

Turukawa 7y ago

They also have to check what's happening in other authorities. From experience, there is no standardisation of anything, not of definitions, data structure, methods of data management. Government data systems are archaic, so doing those cross-authority tests to see whether business qualify for reliefs is real slow. I'd love to see a standard schema for rates data, but that's unlikely.

TeMPOraL 7y ago
The other day on software architecture thread someone mentioned how to solve a part of this problem: requirements on software architecture, which get used in bidding. Software companies are very unhappy about it, because it means they won't get to charge the government several hundred times for the same solution, but the result has a good chance to be interoperable with other systems under similar requirements. The thread is here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20786810 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20786810.

mschuster91 7y ago

Edge cases can always be handled more extensively. My post was aimed at the 99% open/approve/shut cases that make up the bulk of stuff. Basically, free humans from pointless stuff that can readily be automated and use their valuable time to do stuff where human knowledge is required.