Healthcare.gov

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. Department of Health and Human Services - USA Project type : e-Commerce marketplace Project name : The Affordable Care Act Date : Oct 2013  Cost : Unknown Synopsis : When the President of the United States has to address the issue in front of the whole nation, you know you’ve created a serious mess. The Affordable Care act of 2010 is President Obama’s sig...
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British Broadcasting Corporation

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. British Broadcasting Corporation - UK Project type : Digital archive Project name : The Digital Media Initiative Date : May 2013  Cost : £100M Synopsis : Having started operations in 1922, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is one of the world's oldest and most respected media production and broadcasting organizations. Covering both entertainment ...
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J.C. Penny

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. J. C. Penny Company Inc - USA Project type : Nationwide merchandise pricing strategy Project name : Fair and square Date : Nov 2011 - May 2013  Cost : Contributor to $1B loss Synopsis : Know thy customer is the marketer's prime directive. Understand your stakeholder's is the Project Manager's corollary. J.C. Penny is a national level department store chain in the U...
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New Zealand Ministry of Education

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. Ministry of Education - New Zealand Project type : Payroll system Project name : Novopay Date : Sep 2012 - May 2013 Cost : $30M NZD Synopsis : A 2010 report by accounting firm KPMG shone a spotlight on ineffective Project Management practices in New Zealand. Reporting that a shocking 70% of organizations included in the survey had experienced a failed pro...
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J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. J.P. Morgan Chase  & Co.  Project type: Financial risk analysis tool Project name: New Synthetic Credit VaR (Value at Risk) Model Date: Sep 2011 (project) - Apr-Jun 2012 (operational failure) Cost: Approximately $6B Synopsis: Sometimes the mightiest of the mighty is humbled by the meekest of the meek. Microsoft Excel may not be the most grandiose sof...
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British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world. British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) Limited – Middlesex, UK Project type: Customer Relations Management system Project name: Sky CRM Project Date: Jan 2010 court case concluded   Cost: £265M Synopsis: 2010 marked the end of another chapter in what is reputed to be IT's longest and most expensive court battle: the battle between BSkyB (a digital televi...
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Airbus – A380

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. Airbus SAS - France Project name : A380 Project type : Commercial aircraft development Date : Dec 2000 - Oct 2007 Cost : $6.1B in additional costs due to project delays*1 Synopsis : I've often written about decision-making in the project environment and how the decisions made in a project shape the outcomes the project achieves. Often when a project ...
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Marin County

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world. Marin County - California, USA Project type : Enterprise Resource Planning system - Accounting package Project name : MERIT (Marin Enterprise Resource Integrated Technology) Date : Jan 2013 court case settled  Cost :$33M Synopsis : Marin County (Marin) is an affluent county of about 250,000 inhabitants located just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San ...
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State of California

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world. State of California - California, USA Project type : Payroll and benefits system Project name : 21st Century Project (MyCalPAYS)  Date : Feb 2013  Cost :$254M Synopsis : As with many large organizations, the state of California has over the years built up a complex interconnected set of IT systems to support their daily operations. Managing multiple syst...
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US Department of Defense – U.S. Air Force

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world. Department of Defense - USA Project type : Integrated supply chain and logistics system Project name : Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) Date : Nov 2012 Cost :$1B Synopsis : When you have 5,400 high-tech aircraft to deploy and maintain, plus 330,000 active personnel to coordinate, you have a major logistics problem on your hands! To manage those...
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