State of Minnesota

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. State of Minnesota - USA Project type : e-Commerce marketplace Project name : The Affordable Care Act - MNsure Date : Jan 2014  Cost : In the region of $150M USD Synopsis : In Oct 2013, President Obama's Healthcare.gov website caused a stir by becoming the year's biggest troubled IT project story.  What got less attention was the fact that some of the US States had...
Read More

Avon Products

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. Avon Products - Canada Project type : Product sales and ordering system Project name : The "Promise" project Date : Dec 2013  Cost : $100 to $125M Synopsis : Ding-dong - Avon calling. According to reports, a significant number of the Avon sales team in Canada will no longer be pressing any doorbells. One of the world's most established direct sales companies, Avon ...
Read More

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 signature leg...
Read More

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 and news, ...
Read More

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 project over ...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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 ...
Read More

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 Francisco....
Read More

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 systems can ho...
Read More