State of Oregon

The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world. Oregon Health Authority - USA Project type : e-Commerce marketplace Project name : Cover Oregon Date : Apr 2014  Cost : $248M Synopsis : The problems implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the USA have been well documented. Intended to expand the availability of health insurance to a larger number of people, ACA gave individual states the choice of...
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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 ...
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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 compan...
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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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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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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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