Daytona purchases new software in August 1998 and blows past deadlines to go live on July 1 and Sept 1. FAILS attempt to GO LIVE on Dec 7th. Paging Jeff Gordon "Can you spare your pit crew for a few days?"

[For education and research purposes only]

Wednesday, December 08, 1999 Close, but no cigar for Daytona's new computer software By JOHN BOZZO Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH - New computer software failed a deadline Tuesday to "go live," but a city official expressed confidence the system would meet expectations before the year 2000.

"We are still not 100 percent ready," Finance Director Jim Maniak said. "We have a number of things that we have changed and corrected and made modifications to that we still have to test."

The city purchased the administrative software package for about $1.2 million from Creative Computer Solutions, a Pleasanton, Calif., company, in August 1998. Two previous "go live" dates were rescheduled July 1 and Sept. 14.

Because the system was failing to meet the city's expectations, CCS officials agreed to a $3,500-per-day penalty in November if the system continued to fall short. The company also obtained a $468,540 performance bond and provided technical experts at City Hall.

Maniak was unsure if the daily penalty would apply because the agreement with CCS called for an extension if new issues arose. "We've had other things come up," Maniak said. "We would have things to be corrected. They'd correct them and then we'd come back and find something else."

Software related to the city's general ledger, payroll and utility billing were city concerns going into the test Tuesday. Utility billing remains a concern, Maniak said.

Computer programs at Direct Mail Express, a company that processes the city's utility bills, have to be changed to communicate with the city's system. There will also have to be additional coordination with computers at SunTrust Bank, which receives utility bill payments.

Maniak said tests on coordinating computerized billing with Direct Mail Express could be concluded in about a week. He said utility bills could be posted manually until communication with the city's new software is established with SunTrust.

The finance director was confident enough at progress so far that he does not predict the city will have to revert to its older computer system, which would require modifications to work in the year 2000. Many computers and electronic devices that were originally programmed with two digits for the year may malfunction by reading the year 2000 as 1900.

As a precaution in November, the city approved a $27,520 contract with Compaq Computer Corp. to determine any upgrades needed for the city's old computer system for operation in the year 2000.

"We're close enough that we should make it (with the new system)," Maniak said. "We've made a lot of progress, we're very close, but it just may take a little longer as far as the go live date.

"Everyone is still dedicated to getting it done," the finance director said. "We have a very complicated system with a lot of interaction between all the systems we have. They all must talk to each other and send information to other systems at other agencies."

-- Safer (BuggedOutOf@lanta.Duh), December 08, 1999

Answers

" New computer software failed a deadline Tuesday to "go live," but a city official expressed confidence the system would meet expectations before the year 2000........ "

".....Two previous "go live" dates were rescheduled July 1 and Sept. 14. "

Are we the only ones in the world that read this sort of stuff and really get worried?. How the hell do they expect it all to work if they missed 3 'go live' dates. They got 3 weeks to get it right.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), December 08, 1999.

"We've had other things come up ..." means that for the July test they were still dreaming up new functionality to add to the system, and for the September test they had just ONE MORE TEENY LITTLE ADDED FUNCTION. Either it was the brainchild of the manager in charge, or he/she was unable to reject it.

Now the managers have realized that this is all for real, and it doesn't matter whether their clerks have user-settable screen colors, what matters is that the blinkety-blink thing RUNS. But it's too late to learn that lesson, and they won't make 12/31 either.

"We'll have a whole year for testing." Well, now you have 550 hours.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 08, 1999.

"Everyone is still dedicated to getting it done," the finance director said. "We have a very complicated system with a lot of interaction between all the systems we have. They all must talk to each other and send information to other systems at other agencies."

Of COURSE everyone is still dedicated to getting it done. IT'S THEIR FREAKING JOB TO GET IT DONE!!! NOW go back and ask the TRENCH TROOPS if it CAN GET DONE!!!!

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), December 08, 1999.

"No project is ever behind schedule until it reaches a real milestone. "

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), December 08, 1999.