So Key is standing by Parata...

[Winston001]

Oh heck. That has a ring of unpalatable truth.

Allow me to bang on for a moment on the subject of "blaming politicians/civil service etc".

Cockups happen. They happen to ordinary businesses, they happen to multinational corporations, and they happen to government departments.

In 2005 Sainsbury had to write off its US $526 million investment in an automated supply-chain management system. Canada spent $1 billion on a gun registry system and then gave up. The FBI spent $170 million and three years on a virtual case management system - and it too gave up.

You can find information about software failures across the world in a few seconds on Google. Indeed one study says that in the US 34% of IT projects succeed. Shame about the other 66%.

Nobody suggests we should just accept this but the bleak reality is we should tread softly and let other brave souls forge ahead.

[Winston001]

Just a short addendum - in my business we resisted computing for a long time. The reason (mid-80s - 90s) it was expensive, not easily understood, and the user was completely at the mercy of the IT guys. Lawyers and accountants in the mid 80s expected and did pay in excess of $100,000 for the Wang systems.

I recall a friend whose firm installed Wang trust account software for $100,000 plus $20,000 or more per year. And it froze up, corrupted data etc.

Ten years later in 1995 we installed trust account software written by a local guy for $1500. Its still running and he is available today.

[mrsaneperson]

Parata is very much a part of the Maori activist agenda for schools . Her husband Wira Gardiner is responsible for the "all white man are bad" propaganda appearing at our lovely tax payer funded "divisionist" institute of "Te Papa".

Wira Gardiner is Board Chairman of TePapa.

[Wayne]

Finally they see sense!
Govt set to take over Novopay payroll system

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10327873/Govt-set-to-take-over-Novopay-payroll-system

[Perry]

If the reports are right, this has now followed the same path as
INCIS and other multi-million dollar blights on the taxpayers tab.

[eri]

my daughter's high school is trying to ride the digital wave

trying and pretty well failing imho

according to their computerised attendance records she has been absent many, many times this year

she says she has been to every class

the teachers can't remember her ever not attending class

the problem seems to be that the teachers have finger problems when trying to call the role electronically

or that the classrooms wifi link isn't transferring the data to the office computer

whatever the problem they need to fix it as the new NZCEA? requires a certain level of attendance

and as a future employer i will choose staff as much as on their attendance record as their academic performance

[Perry]

and as a future employer i will choose staff as much as on their attendance record as their academic performance

Just do it in person, face-to-face, and not electronically, OK?!
And make sure all the references are on paper, too.

[Wilson82]

I don't see how it's so difficult to click the correct button and how it's possible to have that many errors!

[Bob Kane]

It's doomed.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/9832337/Novopay-to-get-10m-fix

When will Novopay be put down?

In about 6 years.
I suspect the teachers will have a drastically simplified employment contract by then.

[Wayne]

I don't see how it's so difficult to click the correct button and how it's possible to have that many errors!

So it was user error all along?

[Wayne]

In about 6 years.
I suspect the teachers will have a drastically simplified employment contract by then.

That will certainly be long enough for people to forget you posted that and not check if your prediction comes true.

[Perry]

You don't keep a diary, Wayne?

[Wayne]

You don't keep a diary, Wayne?

I have a bad habit of forgeting these sorts of things very quickly.
Probably why I don't hold grudges.
Never seems important enough for me.
Maybe I'll set it in the outlook calander for 6 years time

[Perry]

I have a reminder set up for the Black Friday thread.
No malice or grudge involved. Really only making
the point that we all know: predictions are risky!
And rarely do they prove correct. Of course, some
will take the stance that the event is still coming,
just that they were a bit out with the date 'guess.'
Seems I've heard that song before . . .

You know: it may happen and it Mayan't.

[Wayne]