Service Personnel and Veterans Agency – UK

Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.


Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) – UK
Project name : JPA (Joint Payroll Administration)
Date : Oct 2007 Cost :$100 Project (but cost due to failures not disclosed)

Synopsis :
New system to unify Army, Navy and Air Force payrolls results in a deluge of complaints about missing pay, incorrect pay and bungled allowances. Although system apparently works when used correctly, problems with the transition into operational use result in chaos.

Contributing factors as reported in the press:
Failure to address culture change issues, poor UI design, inadequate training

Reference links :

  1. JPA teething trouble causes unrest in the ranks
  2. RAF officer sues MoD over pay fault – and wins