Toronto Police eCOPS a lesson in how not to manage a software project
The Toronto auditor general’s report on the failed eCOPS project reads like a list of what not to do with a large software project. To start, the project was handled in-house with no regard for the expertise of existing employees. Probably because of their lack of experience, requirements and use-cases were “inadequate, incomplete, or in some cases, non-existent.” Most importantly, development costs were not tracked and quickly got out of hand.
Too often it would seem that project managers and developers forget the old maxim that “time is money.” Projects are often started without a proper plan including a time estimate, cost assessment and an analysis of whether the benefits outweigh those costs. This mismanagement of time results in changes of scope over the course of the project with creeping time overruns as “unforeseen” difficulties arise and features are tacked on.
Sadly, the Toronto Police eCOPS failure isn’t an anomaly in the software industry. The only news here is that it has been a colossal waste of public money.
Posted on June 14th, 2005 in computers, programming - 1 Comment »
2005 Becel Ride for Heart
This morning I finished the Becel Ride for Heart for the third year in a row. After my first ride in 2003, I vowed to ride the 75km leg, but never followed through with that promise until this year, and only as a last minute decision.
Having never rode 75km before, I think I did fairly well. My time was just over two and a half hours, which isn’t bad considering that I haven’t ridden much this year, that the 75km repeats the most difficult part of the 50km leg, and that the smog levels on this hazy day affected my breathing. However, that’s still not a great time considering last year’s time of 90 minutes for 50km. Still, even after 50km I managed to pass pretty much everyone I saw, even those I passed the first time up the DVP.
Aside from the heat and smog, my biggest drawbacks were that I stopped for water before the 75km turnoff, thereby losing my momentum, and ran out of water about 20 minutes from the finish line. Next year, I think a camel pack is in order.
Posted on June 5th, 2005 in meta, person - No Comments »