Never ask, “Can we do it?”
Always ask, “Should WE do it?”
Context? In 1995 Saskatchewan Land Titles had to be brought up to spec from paper to digital form. There is no question that it had to be done, but the answer to the second question should have been a resounding, ‘No’.
In 2000 the gov’t “announced” their vapour-ware. In 2006, after numerous cost over runs, fee hikes and service degradation the “we’ll sell it when we’re done” excuses ran out of steam for the governing NDP and they announced the release. It was broken. When the Sask Party took power in 2007, some competent leadership from the technology sector was put in charge. And look at the success they’ve had since 2007. Last year they were privatized out of gov’t.
So, yes, the Sask NDP were correct, the tech is being sold…just not for the benefit of those who paid for it.
Why do I bring this up, you ask? Well, it seems the Ontario Liberal gov’t is having a bit of trouble with their new ODSP software….
And we all know that a camel is just a horse, designed by a corps of government engineers.
I saw a ‘report’ in the Toronto Star‘s free rag today whining about the federal Conservative government refusing to provide government documents in electronic form—it’s paper only. The sensible Government response was that it would be too easy for anti-government types to alter the electronic versions and spread disinformation or falsehoods using the doctored e-versions. However, it looks like the Feds not doing it can also be justified by this Saskatchewan example that a huge, incompetent bureaucracy and its software would cost too much and fail in the end to accomplish its (alleged) goal. (Contrasted with the usual, “real” goal of employing bureaucrats, spending tax money, and paying off cronies.)
Why do private companies seem to have no trouble installing new computer systems,whereas in government agencies it usually turns into a complete disaster,with huge cost overruns and a system that’s no damned good anyway?
Is it because the private companies hire the best,and sign iron clad contracts with penalties for non-compliance and non-performance, while the government hires companies owned by cronies that may not have the required expertise?
Surely not.
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“Always ask, ‘Should WE do it?'”
instead of, for example… how do we exploit the public sympathy for the murder of a bunch of women (remember, the dude’s name is marc, not gamil) and translate it into votes in the upcoming election? ‘cos we all know how that 2 billion dollar boondoggle worked out.
who knew relational databases were so hard? certainly not every mid-sized to large business in north america that uses them.
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The F-35 is an aviation camel “designed by a corps of government engineers.”
Ontario, home of scandal and government boondoggles has plenty of experience with cutting edge software. Just look at eHealth, a billion wasted (and headed by premier’s brother-in-law), and of course home of the software developer that rolled out Obamacare.
I wouldn’t trust those idiots at Queen’s Park to clean a litter-box, but somehow there are enough stupid or merely idealistically naive voters in Toronto to keep the crooks(alleged) at the trough.
Ever since the Federal Liberals managed to “spend” two billion dollars on a gun registry you could quite literally have run on a laptop, composed of a database you could put on a USB stick, the Liberals have been addicted to the process.
Medical records disaster ring a bell? A billion dollars on that one. Ontario Hydro: Smart meters? Oh yeah.
Imagine how much they spent on specialized software for the windmills. No doubt we’ll all find out how well that works some windy night, when the whole f-ing grid halts, melts and bursts into flame.
The thing is, its not that they can’t do it right. Its just that there’s money in doing it wrong. Cost over runs are…profitable.
‘Last year they were privatized out of gov’t’
So that’s why their staff is such a pleasure to deal with now.
Alberta has an awesome computerized Land Titles system, easily accessible online. I have used both the BC and Sask land titles sites and they are incredibly difficult and awkward to navigate. They should have bought their systems from Alberta. But that would be too easy and logical, not to mention cost-effective.
I agree with you 100%.
I have lawyer friends who swear at the ICS at every search they perform! I’ve used it myself–it’s garbage! And do keep in mind that what really happened is that the province of Saskatchewan simply gave away what took over 100 years to build up. I don’t care if it’s the NDP or the Sask. Party who got the brain wave, I think it was a bad move. It’s the same reasoning as if the government turned over the Trans-Canada highway to a private firm for free and let them charge toll fees! How could they not make money!
All our medical records, land titles and personal information now belong to a private company that have the right to sell whatever they have to whoever is willing to pay for it. We’ve yet to see the end result. A copy of a title that once cost $2.00 now costs $10.00 per search, and you have to print it yourself.
In English–they call that a royal f%$#ing!
Opps–sorry–that’s ISC and not ICS!!
The F-35 was designed and built by Lockheed Martin. As you so well know. Then again, it is possible that you do not know everything. Nx60.
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Concur … if not nx60 … probably eats food grown in pig shit, thinks grease from fryers can save mankind, and because his grandpa told him he is smart – believes it … just like nx60.
The sad part is we are his best friends.
You can’t take the sanctimonious out of the prick, or the prick out of the sanctimonious.
Is it because the private companies hire the best,and sign iron clad contracts with penalties for non-compliance and non-performance, while the government hires companies owned by cronies that may not have the required expertise?
Surely not.
Surely not indeed. Private companies commit boondoggles of this kind literally every day. A company I am familiar with spent over $400,000 kitbashing a revision tracking system into a document management system instead of just buying a $30,000 DMS out of the gate. End result was a failed project and three hundred people laid off. The execs in charge just “failed upward”.
Tax breaks and government incentives aside, though, it was $400,000 of their own money. So nobody much cares.
F*ck ups aren’t just in government domain … I have seen plenty in the private sector … just like you.
The main difference is that 300 more people get hired in the public sector … instead of getting their asses fired.
The sad part is relational databases are not really that hard.
On a scale based on population the ISC boondoggle was more costly than the gun registry and just like the registry I don’t remember anyone being fired over it.
I use the BC online Cadastre at work and it is quite good and keeps improving http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/sv/olc/
The problem with privatising the lands title office is that the control of the information is lost. We had a similar issue with marine charts, the government collected the data and gave it to the company, which turned around and sold it back to us. some things are worth privatizing, others not so much.
As for electronic documents in the Federal government, basically the fed got taken to court about the “accessibility” of it’s documents, it lost and the kneejerk response was to yank all the documents offline. It’s incredibly frustrating and before you blame the bureaucrats alone, since the CPC took over government has become incredibly risk-adverse and message control has gone to insane levels that costs us a fortune everyday. I never would have believed that working for a conservative government would be like working for a Soviet Central Planning Committee. Instead of encouraging risk taking they are doing the opposite.
“Instead of encouraging risk taking they are doing the opposite.”
Of course they are. They have to. Anytime the least thing goes wrong they get pilloried in the press.
Furthermore the Conservative Movement is not meant to be about “good government”. That’s the Liberals, they’re in love with “good government”.
The Conservatives are about LESS government.
The more they cut taxes the more they win elections. Therefore they are always looking for excuses to downsize departments and jettison government workers. This naturally leads to a “keep your head down” environment in public service. The nail that sticks up shall be pulled out and tossed off the roof, not just hammered down.
Poor babies. Quit and start something up in the private sector, then complain to me about “risk taking”. Put your whole nest egg on the line to start a retail store, that’s risk taking.
Anything you do in government isn’t risk, its spending other people’s money on some scheme that might not work. To my mind that’s reprehensible. If you’re spending other people’s money, you better be 100% certain you’ll get the job done and it will be worth doing as well.
Any day of the week the government is being taken to court over something and we are a big target with money, so the risk is quite real for the taxpayer and the people making the decisions. You are correct the CPC gets bad press even when not deserved, but the message mania has gotten to the point where it’s a drag on government and on decision making which has an effect on the economy. another problem is most of the cost cutting exercises generally affect frontline staff serving the public, because they are to busy doing their jobs to see the axe coming. the people you want to cut are to good at avoiding the axe and passing on the pain.
I recently had to deal with somebody’s garbage they left behind from a failed scheme that cost the taxpayers 100,000’s of Provincial and Federal dollars to clean up. I wish the business community was as hard on their own peers as they are on the government. It may come as a surprise but we are not all out to get you or spend your money on frivolous things. I spend a lot of time reminding my bosses of how much the latest greatest idea is going to cost in real dollars.