The most tech savvy administration...

[airdvr 210]

in history blows at rolling out a website.

6 largest contractors...$400 million

Obamacare website: 6 biggest contractors
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/21/technology/obamacare-website-contracts/

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[Gravitymaster 0]

Just one more example of government's inability to do anything right. Wait until they try and manage a huge healthcare data base.

[Channman 2]

airdvr

in history blows at rolling out a website.

6 largest contractors...$400 million

Obamacare website: 6 biggest contractors
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/21/technology/obamacare-website-contracts/

The 2nd video attached with this article explains everything.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/10/14/obamacares-website-is-crashing-because-it-doesnt-want-you-to-know-health-plans-true-costs/

[ianmdrennan 2]

Quote

Just one more example of government's inability to do anything right.

IMO, it's more a problem with the software industry and contracting/off shoring methodologies.

I've seen millions of dollars wasted over, and over, and over again on things like this.

Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Andy9o8 2]

It does leave one wondering why this wasn't more robustly beta-tested before roll-out.

[CygnusX-1 43]

I don't recall anyone saying that Obama sat down behind a computer and designed (or is hosting) the website. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anyone in government doing anything with the website. Didn't they contract the design out to a company? This appears to be more of a failure of the private sector than government...

[ianmdrennan 2]

Andy9o8

It does leave one wondering why this wasn't more robustly beta-tested before roll-out.

Tell me about it.

It was beyond dismally tested, of course. I'm astounded, even with all my years in this field, that it was so piss poorly done.

Performance Designs Factory Team

[masterrig 1]

Acontractor out of Canada, who theCanadian Government 'fired' because thatcontractor botched the job for them. So, the U.S. govt hired themand we got the same results as Canada.

Found it! http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/10/21/why-did-obama-admin-use-failed-canadian-company-create-obamacare-website


Chuck

[regulator 0]

ianmdrennan

Quote

Just one more example of government's inability to do anything right.

IMO, it's more a problem with the software industry and contracting/off shoring methodologies.

I've seen millions of dollars wasted over, and over, and over again on things like this.

Ian

what like 5,000 dollars for a bolt....20,000.00 for a toothbrush...that kind of thing?

[airdvr 210]

CygnusX-1

I don't recall anyone saying that Obama sat down behind a computer and designed (or is hosting) the website. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anyone in government doing anything with the website. Didn't they contract the design out to a company? This appears to be more of a failure of the private sector than government...

ODS

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[Stumpy 284]

Nope - Obama did it. Not only is he a Kenyan Muslim, he is also a lousy coder.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[wmw999 2,558]

It's messed up, and it's his key program. It should have been done better, it really, really, should have.

It's one thing not to be able to keep up with being slammed on the first day, but the follow-on problems look like "let the users find the problems and we'll fix them" coding at its worst

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Stumpy 284]

wmw999

It's messed up, and it's his key program. It should have been done better, it really, really, should have.

It's one thing not to be able to keep up with being slammed on the first day, but the follow-on problems look like "let the users find the problems and we'll fix them" coding at its worst

Wendy P.

I don't disagree. Due to what I do, I have a healthy hate of "big IT" at the best of times.
I see on a daily basis, how well and easily things can be done, but Government and big corporate IT is almost always awful.

I just had an image of the pres hunched over a keyboard with a big cup of mountain dew and headphones on. Made me chuckle.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[Gravitymaster 0]

CygnusX-1

I don't recall anyone saying that Obama sat down behind a computer and designed (or is hosting) the website. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anyone in government doing anything with the website. Didn't they contract the design out to a company? This appears to be more of a failure of the private sector than government...

Have you ever heard the expression "The Buck Stops Here"? Any idea of what that means?

[regulator 0]

Of course not. Its all bush's fault.

[ianmdrennan 2]

I don't agree. Companies contract out because they acknowledge they don't have the skill, expertise, or man power (often all) to do the job they need done. Unfortunately people making the decisions on whom to pick often don't know any better, or only look at the bottom line, causing inferior contractor selection.

this is a failure of the company hired to do the job, and the likely result of cost vs quality that factors into picking contractors.

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Gravitymaster 0]

So going into Iraq based on faulty evidence wasn't Bush's fault?

[DiverMike 5]

Quote

this is a failure of the company hired to do the job, and the likely result of cost vs quality that factors into picking contractors.

I disagree. It is a failure of the government for choosing the companies that don't deliver. Hell - I outsource contracts all the time and if I pick the wrong vendor and the project does not come in on time and budget, the Board of Directors blames me and not the vendor.

In this analogy, the taxpayers are the Board of Directors.

For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

[wmw999 2,558]

It's also the fault of the government for changing requirements as they go (which probably meant they were trying to overspecify them in the first place), and of the contractor for not making sure that a reachable end point was negotiated. The schedule was the most important item (in developing a schedule, first determine which is most important - price, schedule, or content, then negotiate from there). That means that content had to be negotiable, and not upwards, either.

This "here's the schedule, here's the goal, here's the cost" thing really isn't the best way to do business on massive projects.

Things always change as you go along. Always. Better to figure out what could definitely be built rigorously on schedule, and then try to add stuff (according to a most-desired-first plan).

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[lawrocket 3]

Andy9o8

It does leave one wondering why this wasn't more robustly beta-tested before roll-out.

What's interesting is that there is a more-than-minor chance that the President and Dems in Congress will soon try to delay implementation of the individual mandate because of this.

Which is exactly what the Republicans wanted just last week.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[ianmdrennan 2]

DiverMike

Quote

this is a failure of the company hired to do the job, and the likely result of cost vs quality that factors into picking contractors.

I disagree. It is a failure of the government for choosing the companies that don't deliver. Hell - I outsource contracts all the time and if I pick the wrong vendor and the project does not come in on time and budget, the Board of Directors blames me and not the vendor.

In this analogy, the taxpayers are the Board of Directors.

I'd bet good money the president didn't pick the contractor.....which is why gravitymasters analogy doesn't fly

Performance Designs Factory Team

[lawrocket 3]

[Reply]This "here's the schedule, here's the goal, here's the cost" thing really isn't the best way to do business on massive projects.

[turtlespeed 226]

ianmdrennan

I don't agree. Companies contract out because they acknowledge they don't have the skill, expertise, or man power (often all) to do the job they need done. Unfortunately people making the decisions on whom to pick often don't know any better, or only look at the bottom line, causing inferior contractor selection.

this is a failure of the company hired to do the job, and the likely result of cost vs quality that factors into picking contractors.

So the actual CHOICE of the "product" producer to hire the failed company has no culpability?

Let me put it this way . . . If I hired a subcontractor to install an AC unit, and paid even 1% more than the contract, without a legitimate cause for a change order to contract, I would be called to the floor to answer why.

The contract I use is very clear. The subcontractor is liable to complete the work for the fee agreed on.

HOW DOES THE COST GET SO OUT OF HAND?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[rushmc 23]

turtlespeed

***I don't agree. Companies contract out because they acknowledge they don't have the skill, expertise, or man power (often all) to do the job they need done. Unfortunately people making the decisions on whom to pick often don't know any better, or only look at the bottom line, causing inferior contractor selection.

this is a failure of the company hired to do the job, and the likely result of cost vs quality that factors into picking contractors.

So the actual CHOICE of the "product" producer to hire the failed company has no culpability?

Let me put it this way . . . If I hired a subcontractor to install an AC unit, and paid even 1% more than the contract, without a legitimate cause for a change order to contract, I would be called to the floor to answer why.

The contract I use is very clear. The subcontractor is liable to complete the work for the fee agreed on.

HOW DOES THE COST GET SO OUT OF HAND?

No bid contract?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[rushmc 23]

ianmdrennan

Quote

Just one more example of government's inability to do anything right.

IMO, it's more a problem with the software industry and contracting/off shoring methodologies.

I've seen millions of dollars wasted over, and over, and over again on things like this.

Ian

the Obama admin hired a company Canada fired for websight failures

Smart huh

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln