🚀 go-pugleaf

Trump IRS pick faces massive IT challenge
https://fcw.com/articles/2018/06/29/irs-legacy-tech-rettig.aspx

beltway bandits have been running failed IT modernization efforts for at
least three decades ... although major uptic after turn of the century,
making more money off series of failures
http://www.govexec.com/excellence/management-matters/2007/04/the-success-of-failure/24107/
common excuses for failures (other than they are more profitable)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Case_File#Reasons_for_failure

mid-90s, we had consulted on back-end servers for 2000 census (20yr old
stuff rolled out April1997 and new stuff rolled in so there was enough
testing time). After turn of century, we had meeting with congressional
staff responsible for VA (lots of MUMPS) about doing something similar
for VA (they were coming off a failed billion dollar effort and gearing
up for a couple billion dollar effort ... that also would fail). This
has some that were successful
https://www.oit.va.gov/about/history.cfm
and some that weren't
https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2018/01/veterans-affairs-wasted-almost-2-billion-failed-it-projects/145626/

Also after the turn of century, we had meetings out at New Carrollton
(large IRS complex) about reviewing problems with most recent IRS
modernization effort ... 1) beltway bandit project management, 2)
social, 3) technical. Beltway bandit had one or two people that knew
what they were doing who wrote some specs but didn't spend adequate time
understanding the business processes along with people assigned to work
on it were fresh CS graduates (with little experience). Social was
resistance by IRS IT people & domain experts that weren't being
involved/included. Technical was lots of very obscure 360
assembler. older 1995 report
https://www.gao.gov/products/AIMD-95-156
and 1997
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1997-01-31/news/1997031030_1_modern-computer-systems-irs-computers-paper-tax-returns
more recent, The IRS's Unusual IT 'Success Story' is Failing
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/11/26/IRS-s-One-IT-Success-Story-Failing

other failures
https://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/software/2018s-it-failures-have-a-familiar-look-already

Why Do Legacy Modernization Initiatives Fail?
https://www.pega.com/insights/articles/why-do-legacy-modernization-initiatives-fail

success of failure posts
http://www.garilc.com/~lynn/submisc.html#success.of.failure

part of uptic in "success of failure" after turn of century was uptic in
private equity companies moving into government contracting market

Barbarians at the Capitol: Private Equity, Public Enemy
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/10/barbarians-capitol-private-equity-public-enemy/

Lou Gerstner, former ceo of ibm, now heads the Carlyle Group, a
Washington-based global private equity firm whose 2006 revenues of $87
billion were just a few billion below ibm's. Carlyle has boasted George
H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and former Secretary of State James Baker III
on its employee roster.

... snip ...

another reference, after turn of century, huge uptic in outsourcing
intelligence to for profit companies (70% of budget, over half of the
people), significant number acquired by private equity companies
("barbarians" article have the companies employing prominant politicians
lobbying congress, also references private equity acquired beltway
bandit that will employ Snowden)
http://www.investingdaily.com/17693/spies-like-us

private equity posts
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submisc.html#private.equity

the industry had gotten such a bad reputation in the S&L crises, they
changed the name of "junk bonds" to "high yield bonds" and change the
industry name to "private equity". Yesterday, Bloomberg TV news had
segment which had banner across the bottom saying "Junk Bonds" but
all the people interviewed constantly said "high yield bonds" (and
never once said "junk bonds).

-- 
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970