Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) - UK
Project name: Single Payment Scheme
Date : Jan-Dec 2006 Cost :$610M USD
Synopsis :
Following an European Union agreement to standardize subsidy payments to farmers, DEFRA develops systems to enable payments to UK farms. Lack of management and poor decision making cause DEFRA to miss implementati...
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Failed government project
Dept. Homeland Security
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Homeland Security - Emerge2 Project - USA
Date : Sep 2006 Cost : $20M
Synopsis :
Plans for the Emerge2 system (Electronically Managing Enterprise Resources for Government Efficiency and Effectiveness ) are scuttled after it becomes clear the project has headed off in the wrong direction. Original plan called for the development of an Enterp...
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Junior Doctors Online Recruitment System
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Medical Training Application System - UK
Date : May 2007 Cost :$12M
Synopsis :
Junior doctors forced to reapply directly to hospitals after a new centralized system for matching doctors and postings disintegrates. System left many of the UK's most qualified junior doctors without training posts. Publicity of the problems resulted in journalists identifyin...
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General Register Office
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Registry Office System - UK
Date : Mar 2007 Cost :$12M
Synopsis :
New system to register births, marriages and deaths across the UK purchased from a US company and adapted for use in the UK. Implementation results in chaos when system cannot handle volume of data being processed. Registry offices officially told to abandon the system after just 2 months o...
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Department of Defense – Australia – Helicopters
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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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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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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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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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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