6.033--Computer System Engineering

Suggestions for classroom discussion of:

Computer system delivery disasters

A largely unedited collection of materials, in most cases with pointers to original sources.
by J. H. Saltzer, started March 1996, last updated May 15, 2002

1. California Automobile registration system.
2. Confirm, reservation system.
3. Taurus, London stock exchange share settlement system.
4. London Ambulance Service
5. Federal Aviation Administration, Advanced Automation System.
6. IBM Workplace OS.
7. Bank of America Masternet
8. WWMCCS, World-Wide Military Command and Control System
9. Air Force Advanced Logistics System
10. United Airlines & Univac reservations system.
11. TWA & Burroughs reservations system.
12. Sperry Rand traffic light control system for New York City.
13. Princeton Library inventory control system by 3M.
14. Fox Meyer drug company bankruptcy
15. Oxford Health Plans, Inc.
16. I.R.S. tax systems modernization project
17. Statewide Automatic Child-Support System (SACSS, California)

    Inside Risks: System Development Woes

comment from: The Economist April 17th 1999

"The Parliamentary Accounts Committee is currently examining nearly 40 computer projects which have gone seriously wrong in recent years. Among the more notorious failures are the new air-traffic-control system for London which is running four years late and 75% over budget, the Post Office's benefits-card system and the Contributions Agency's attempt to modernize the national insurance system. ...these and other recent computer blunders will cost the taxpayer more than BP1 billion."

"...the new national-insurance recording system...more than 1,900 systems glitches of which three-quarters are said to be unresolved. ...160,000 pensioners in receipt of state pensions being underpaid, more than 1 million claims for Jobseekers Allowance cleared without up-to-date information and 17 million national-insurance records waiting to be processed."

* Begun in 1984, California's $545 million attempt to
      automate its welfare system--a move that should have
      saved the state money --will cost $500 million more than
      planned and take five years longer than expected;

      * After six years in the making, a $10 million program to
      track troubled minors through foster homes and adoption
      programs has been rejected by the very same county
      welfare offices it was designed to help;



comment from:  http://www.bcs.org.uk/publicat/ebull/apr96/forum.htm

Britain is a commercial computing disaster zone. The Stock Exchange
Taurus and London Ambulance disasters were the visible tip of a massive
problem. The Performing Rights Society fiasco resulted in the scrapping
of an £8 million computer system. The Department of Employment
attempted a computer system to run training and enterprise programmes.
By the time they gave up they had reportedly spent £48 million. The
report by the Public Accounts Committee was damning.