[Sheflug] Re: Failed IT Project

[Richard <nospam [at] sheflug.co.uk>]

Dear All

David Bottrill wrote:

> I am an infrastructure project manager / consultant working for EDS on the
> Rolls-Royce account in Derby, I can't comment of the Gouvernment accounts,
> but we do try our hardest to do the best job we can for RR. 

When I worked on the Nimrod Mk 1/2/3 projects I found that there was a
great deal of pressure from the American and Russian people to make
sure that we didn't support our own technical people and engineering
industry.  This was thoroughly supported by Mrs Thathcher.

However if the
> gouvernment accounts are as beauracratic as RR is then I can understand the
> reason for some projects failing. I am constantly faced with the old guard
> RR beauracracy, which mixed with EDS's own, causes great difficulties. The
> biggest drawback I find is the constant distrust RR have for EDS,

This supports by my own experiences. EDS is Microsoft and not British
:)

 we are
> genuinely not out to rip-off RR, but we are constantly asked to re-view our
> quotations (reduce costs) which inveviatbly costs more labour than what we
> managed to shave off the original costings. At RR we do nto work on fixed
> price contacts, so the hours we work are the hours RR are charged, as for
> the hardware / software costs, RR pay a fixed percentage over our cost
> prices which we are obliged to share with them.

Oh dear :(
 
> Since EDS took over the number of IT staff have been considerably reduced,
> and a vast ammount of new infrastructure has been installed, large SAP
> projects are gradually reducing reliance on MainFrame systems that often
> never worked properly, this has allowed significant reduction in the time to
> manufacture and repair Aero engines.

I know that this is low quality management in action :(  < pardon me
for saying something >

> EDS don't always get it right, the clash of two cultures causes major
> ripples that reverberate around for many years, but they do gradually
> diminsh albeit not quick enough.

:) 

I always thought that one culture was enough :)

> RR originally signed a 10 year contract with EDS, after 4 1/2 years they
> have signed for another 12 1/2 years, so on the whole we must be doing a
> good job, time will tell!!

Yes :)


-- 
Richard
Sheffield UK

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