5 ms·

IMO the problem here is exactly that the project was outsourced. Outsourcing is likely to lead to crap products and with clueless public funding the costs end u

by Twixes 6y ago

IMO the problem here is exactly that the project was outsourced. Outsourcing is likely to lead to crap products and with clueless public funding the costs end up astronomical relative to the quality of the result. In-house software expertise could result in better quality (this budget could definitely afford a lot of great engineers) and more controllable costs.

jordanbeiber 6y ago
Project model -> outsourcing -> shitty software The outsourcing is to be blamed on the project model. I could staff up a small team and build this thing on a fraction of the budget, as proven by the “competing” initiative. Many of us could! You could even outsource some of the work to individual devs around the world. What you can’t do is accomplish that under the weight of a PMO spawned project with a billion in budget.
- mjevans 6y ago
  The sad parts: * That team is still necessary for future changes and maintenance, including security and transitions. * The public sector has many institutions* where such a team should have tenure (and other work to fill the non-public works projects time). Offhand, These institutions include the temples of information worship (libraries), information provisioning (higher education of all sorts; elementary and lower are for converting feral humans to educated people), and any civil engineers (civilian or military at any level).
  - jordanbeiber 6y ago
    Exactly. This wouldn’t as much rub me the wrong way had this been an effort of actual employees and staff at some govt agency where this were a longer term (indefinite?) initiative. At least then it turns in to: - mostly a zero sum game with my tax money - opens up for other, future, opportunities and lessons learned Hiring services from consultancies and third parties that after project end will “hand-off” to maintenance and operations to... another third party. I mean. Come on!

by Twixes 6y ago

jordanbeiber 6y ago

Project model -> outsourcing -> shitty software The outsourcing is to be blamed on the project model. I could staff up a small team and build this thing on a fraction of the budget, as proven by the “competing” initiative. Many of us could! You could even outsource some of the work to individual devs around the world. What you can’t do is accomplish that under the weight of a PMO spawned project with a billion in budget.

mjevans 6y ago
The sad parts: * That team is still necessary for future changes and maintenance, including security and transitions. * The public sector has many institutions* where such a team should have tenure (and other work to fill the non-public works projects time). Offhand, These institutions include the temples of information worship (libraries), information provisioning (higher education of all sorts; elementary and lower are for converting feral humans to educated people), and any civil engineers (civilian or military at any level).
- jordanbeiber 6y ago
  Exactly. This wouldn’t as much rub me the wrong way had this been an effort of actual employees and staff at some govt agency where this were a longer term (indefinite?) initiative. At least then it turns in to: - mostly a zero sum game with my tax money - opens up for other, future, opportunities and lessons learned Hiring services from consultancies and third parties that after project end will “hand-off” to maintenance and operations to... another third party. I mean. Come on!