April 5th, 2008
UPDATE: $3 billion Census Bureau IT failure
The Census Bureau’s $600 million custom-handheld initiative has finally been scrapped. The upshot: the 2010 census will now cost $3 billion more than planned. Guess those pesky handheld computers are a bit too complicated, so it’s back to paper and pencil methods.
Also see: Billion-dollar IT failure at Census Bureau
THE IT FAILURES ANALYSIS
Let’s parse the official press release, translating government-speak into plain English.
Press release:
“The 2010 Census is one of the highest priorities and most important responsibilities of the Commerce Department…. The situation is unacceptable,” [Secretary U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M.] Gutierrez said. “Over the last month or so, a clear sense has emerged: to have a fully successful 2010 Census, we must immediately revamp some programs, refocus priorities and get on top of the challenges. The American people expect and deserve a timely and accurate Decennial Census and the Department and I won’t rest until they have it.”
Translation: We screwed up and everyone knows. Damn, this sucks.
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Press release:
Multiple internal and external reviews have identified continuing Census challenges across a number of areas, including adequate planning over key systems requirements, key technology requirements, specification of operational control system characteristics and functions and regional center technology infrastructure. Gutierrez outlined conceptually two major problem areas: the management and implementation of the technology needs of the FDCA effort; and non-FDCA related planning challenges and cost increases.
Translation: This thing was hosed from the beginning. I don’t get paid enough to deal with this crap.
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Press release:
Gutierrez also announced that management and oversight of the 2010 Census would be strengthened and deepened both at the Census Bureau and at the Department.
Translation: Everyone’s watching, so we gotta deal with it.
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Press release:
Gutierrez said that the Census Bureau will need an additional $2.2 to $3.0 billion in funding over the next five years to meet the replan needs….The life cycle cost for the Reengineered 2010 Census was estimated at $11.8 billion in the FY 2009 Budget Request, including $1.8 billion for the American Community Survey which replaced the long-form. The new estimated life cycle cost for the 2010 Census is $13.7 to $14.5 billion.
Translation: Glad we could bury this in the press release. Maybe no one’ll really notice?
Michael Krigsman is CEO of Asuret, Inc., a software and consulting company dedicated to reducing software implementation failures. Click here to discuss this post with him on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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