Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Defense - Australia
Project : Seasprite Helicopters
Date : May 2006 Cost :$1.4B AUD
Synopsis :
Australian Navy first grounds (May 2006) and then scraps (Mar 2008) a fleet of 10 helicopters because of safety concerns arising from the avionics software used. The project involved the purchase of 10 second hand Seasprite helicopters that were first...
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Why projects fail
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – USA
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) - USA
Project type : New payroll system
Date : Jan 2007 Cost :$95 USD
Synopsis :
New payroll system goes seriously wrong. Some teachers are paid $10,000 for one month’s work while others receive just 20¢ for the same job. Some school board employees are forced to take bank loans to cover their daily expenses while...
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Centrica PLC – UK
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Centrica PLC – UK
Project name : Jupiter
Date : Feb 2007 Cost :$6340M USD
Synopsis :
Efforts to combine billing systems for electrical and gas supply into a single system dissolve into a shambles. Level of manual intervention required to handle billings exceeds ability of staff to keep up with the system. Additional 2,500 recruited to try to restore order. ...
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Social Insurance Agency – Japan
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Social Insurance Agency – Japan
Date : Jun 2007 Cost :Undisclosed
Synopsis :
Japanese government admits they can no longer identify the true owners of 50,000,000 pension accounts. Social Insurance Agency Director General Kiyoshi Murase himself stands outside government buildings handing out fliers apologizing for the mistakes.
Contributing factors as report...
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Lufthansa Systems – Germany
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Lufthansa Systems – Germany
Project name : FACE (Future Airline Core Environment)
Date : Sep 2007 Cost : Undisclosed
Synopsis :
New airline passenger reservation system cancelled after 2 years of work. Little information provided, but press release quotes problems with supplier performance.
Contributing factors as reported in the press:
Press release note...
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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 wo...
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New South Wales Government – Australia
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
New South Wales Government - Australia
Project name : TCARD
Date : Nov 2007 Project Cost : $370M AUD Writeoff Cost : $95M AUD (estimated)
Synopsis :
Smart card transit project to allow single ticket across train, ferry and bus transit cancelled after years of delays and cost overruns. Project originally intended for delivery in time for Sydney Olympics (Jul...
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Waste Management Inc – USA
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Waste Management Inc - USA
Project : Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation
Date : Mar 2008 Cost :$100M USD
Synopsis :
Enterprise Resource Planning system implementation fails to meet needs. Waste Management claim vendor used a dummy prototype for pre-sale demo while asserting that the solution was an out-of-the-box solution that would requi...
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British Airways – UK
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
British Airways PLC. / British Airports Authority
Project :Move of operations into Heathrow Terminal 5
Date : Apr 2008 Cost :$32M USD
Synopsis :
Opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 labeled a fiasco after 28,000 bags get lost and hundreds of flights are cancelled. Problems resulted in British Airways having to cease accepting passengers with bags to check-in while...
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Transit Ticketing Authority – Melbourne Australia
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Transit Ticketing Authority - Melbourne Australia
Project name : MYKI
Date : May 2008 Cost :up to $350M AUD
Synopsis :
Smart card system to allow bus, rail and tram travel on a single ticket delayed by as much as 5 years and over budget by between $200M and $350M depending on press reports.
Contributing factors as reported in the press :
Underestimation o...
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