Initial Thoughts on Custom Software Procurement.
When private businesses waste money, it’s a shame but not a tragedy. When government does waste money, it’s far more serious. The potential alternate uses of those funds might have made a real difference in the lives of citizens.
So it is particularly annoying to see how often large custom software projects in government fail. This is not limited to a specific government; it appears to be a disease that affects the entire public sector. It is particularly frustrating to witness how frequently large custom software projects in government fail. This is not exclusive to one government; it appears to be a widespread issue in the public sector. Large custom software projects in government often fail, and it’s particularly annoying. This problem isn’t limited to one government; it seems to plague the entire public sector.
One of the critical problems is that politicians tend to focus on writing and passing bills through their legislative chambers. That is where they count the win.
This is similar to a private business owner celebrating that they have raised money from investors. Yes, it is a win, but it is not the win.
In both cases, the real hard work has not even started. There are months, sometimes years, of painstakingly detailed work with custom software projects. Sometimes, these project timelines are longer than the elected politicians’ serving timelines.
The other issue, more specific to the public sector than the private sector, is the idea of having to launch something big and fully formed from the outset. Launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in the public sector would be an embarrassment, but that is often the best way to do it.
Consider the fact of projects that have been outright failures — those that never even make it to launch without suffering a host of issues. If that project could have delivered even 2% of the projected functionality as an MVP early on, more value would have been delivered to the public.
