tv@praxis.co.uk (Tony Voss) (05/10/89)
There are some figures in popular circulation in the UK reportedly originating from the US GAO concerning a survey of 'some US Federal Software Projects'. These figures (at least the version I have) claim to show that, of the projects surveyed: 47% $3.2M delivered but were never used 29% $2.0M were paid for but never delivered 19% $1.3M had to be abandoned or reworked 3% $0.2M were used after change <2% $0.1M were used as delivered This is startling stuff, and excellent to drive home the need to improve things. But no one I know has been able to attribute the figures to a source I would trust. Everyone got them from somewhere else. Please can anyone give me a source? Tony Voss
duncan@dduck.ctt.bellcore.com (Scott Duncan) (05/11/89)
In article <4021@newton.praxis.co.uk> tv@praxis.co.uk (Tony Voss) writes: [Asking about a source for the following figures about government projects surveyed by the GAO.] >47% $3.2M delivered but were never used >29% $2.0M were paid for but never delivered >19% $1.3M had to be abandoned or reworked >3% $0.2M were used after change ><2% $0.1M were used as delivered The source I was given -- recently at the Emprirical Studies of Programmers Workshop in Austin just prior to SIGCHI -- was ACM's SIGSOFT Notes (Oct. '85). But it was pointed out that these projects were ones already considered to be in trouble (for what reasons I do not know). I have not yet read the article to know what detail it provides, however. Speaking only for myself, of course, I am... Scott P. Duncan (duncan@ctt.bellcore.com OR ...!bellcore!ctt!duncan) (Bellcore, 444 Hoes Lane RRC 1H-210, Piscataway, NJ 08854) (201-699-3910 (w) 201-463-3683 (h))