Software Test Automation - Public Servants Losing Jobs - Disability Fund
These are seemly three totally unrelated topics, if you are not rush, read on.
We all know about 'government waste', it is all tax payers' money in the end. Not many tax payers knowing the scale of waste in bad IT systems, it is worse than pissing against the wall.
To be absolutely objective, I will just quote the news headlines on some big local IT projects.
Queensland Health Payroll
Gold Coast Payroll
- 2010-05: Council pays $55m to health payroll firm
- 2010-05: Coast council CEO defends IT revamp
"IBM SAP oversaw the implementation of software which has failed to properly pay health workers since its introduction in March." - 2012-08: IT bungle leaves council bills unpaid
"It later dumped IBM from the contract and incurred a penalty believed to be more than $1 million."
Brisbane City Council Payroll
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Brisbane City Council's payroll system a "black hole"
"RATEPAYERS have pumped almost $30 million into fixing Brisbane City Council's ``basket case'' computerised payroll system - and it still doesn't work".
It is not hard to imagine how much tax payers' money were wasted? Remember, payroll system is a only one kind of system. While Queensland is still in the middle of mining boom, the government is in huge debt. The largest sacking of public servants is about to happen next month: around 20000.
Also as a result, Queensland government is not willing to support National Disability Fund.
As an IT professional, it is heart-breaking to see IT disasters contribute (again) to miserability to people lives, particularly disadvantaged ones.
We all heard of 'Test Driven XXX', though many haven't seen one working. Speaking of my experience, software test automation is the simplest, quickest, and most accurate way to measure whether the vendor software is up to the job. Don't fall into those fancy talk and slides, just ask: "Show me how do automate test your application?"
Some might argue it is just your opinion. Check out Auditor-General's report on QLD Health Payroll: Pay system not properly tested. QLD Health payroll is a IBM-SAP project, now a simple question: "How many IBM rational test software sold to QLD government after this report?" An even simpler and logic question: "Are they being used?"
