back to article Court drops IBM's costs on Queensland government

The long-running legal stoush between IBM and the Queensland state government is genuinely, finally, truly over, and the government has to pay Big Blue's costs. Sueballs have been flying between Big Blue and Queensland for years, over a Department of Health payroll system rollout that turned into a disaster: what was supposed …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Next to SCO, this was worth the popcorn.

    The popcorn makers will be sad to see this one finally done, but they'll take heart that another epic cockup will be around shortly.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Next to SCO, this was worth the popcorn.

      That was the health payroll system. Just wait for the health system!

  2. aberglas

    Somebody was sacked for buying IBM

    Forget the name, but one or two heads did roll. Probably not the guilty ones.

    The level of incompetence in the government agency running this (not heatlh btw) was way above the norm. That is how IBM got off the hook. But the whole point of buying IBM is supposed to be that sure, you pay much more, but at the end of the day they make it work. Except this time they hid behind the appalling contracts and work practices of the government. Eventually the government said "we will let you off the hook, give you as much money as you want, just make it work". But by then it was too late, they were let off the hook and it still did not work.

    They did all the classic mistakes. Big bang installations. No parallel runs. Major problems obvious early hidden behind secrecy. Until finally, it hit the papers when nurses were not being paid. Cost the Labor government their jobs too.

    The real key to this is natural selection. They would have been much better telling each of the hospitals do do their own thing. Lots of competing and redundant systems. Some would have worked, some not, and over time those that failed would be replaced by those that work.

    1. Denarius Silver badge
      Thumb Down

      Re: Somebody was sacked for buying IBM

      Heads for rolling. Hmmmm, Why was the States auditors missing in inaction ? Even basic accounting would show some modest growth from 6 illion to 20 million, let alone above and remark on it. Next year be using terms like severe budgeting failure. . What do all the suited clerks do then ?

  3. Colin Tree

    blame

    Can we blame the Labour or Liberal governments or the incompetent public servants who implement the wants of our elected lords and masters, or the person(s) with the brown paper bags.

    Wasn't there some shady dealing with the contract being won by IBM.

    PanamaGate has just exposed shady international dealings, which we know have gone on since Adam was a boy. The detail is in the fine print and corruption in the brown paper bag.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lawyers

    This surely justifies the big bucks paid to IBM lawyers.

    'Well done guys, have a bonus. We can't afford to lose you!'

    'What do you mean there are no techies any more, just lawyers?'

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hate seeing the press take the initial project price of IBM's component then say 'it blew out to' and giving the final cost of the entire project. It's dishonest. IBM didn't see all that revenue. We're all used to customer needs shifting and specifications changing, but changing with the frequency, ineptitude and drama that this customer had is well beyond the norm. Pursuing the IT supplier legally just confirms that they're blind to their own incompetence, which ensures it will never be addressed.

    Yep have to post this anonymously, too close to the subject matter on this one

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