Category: Obamacare

Obamacare and the 90% solution

Obamacare and the 90% solution

| November 20, 2013 | 1 Reply

The first 90% of a software project takes 90% of the schedule. The remaining 10% takes the other 90% of the schedule. — The Metric Law of 90s We’ve had a lot of percentages thrown around about the Healthcare.gov system lately: 30-40% remains to be done, 60-70% is complete, as of December 1st it will […]

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Obamacare and the Three Heads [UPDATED]

Obamacare and the Three Heads [UPDATED]

| November 19, 2013 | Reply

In a large-scale, well-managed IT project, there are three key roles that need to be filled by three different people who are each talented, qualified, tough-nosed, and given commensurate authority. Actual titles may vary a bit, but the roles themselves are well-known: Project Manager. This person manages the personnel (and sub-organizations) on the entire project; […]

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Obamacare and the Potemkin Website

Obamacare and the Potemkin Website

| November 16, 2013 | 3 Replies

[minor edits and additions, as always] Back on October 25th, Jeffrey Zients “landed” at the White House and took charge of the ailing Healthcare.gov website. He famously declared at the time: “By the end of November, HealthCare.gov will work smoothly for the vast majority of users. . . . Let me be clear: HealthCare.gov is fixable.” […]

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Obamacare and the Unstopped Project

Obamacare and the Unstopped Project

| November 13, 2013 | 2 Replies

The most valuable IT consultant is someone who stands athwart a failing software project, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it. (with apologies to William F. Buckley) After a flurry of posts over several weeks on the unfolding Healthcare.gov […]

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Post at Ace of Spaces: what comes next for Healthcare.gov?

Post at Ace of Spaces: what comes next for Healthcare.gov?

| November 5, 2013 | Reply

I published a post over at Ace of Spades yesterday on what is likely to happen next with the Healthcare.gov development effort: So, what can you expect next? There are two basic courses that a project such as this takes at this point: oscillation or off-line. Oscillation is what happens when the developer continues to push […]

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Obamacare and the Unforgiving Gauntlet

Obamacare and the Unforgiving Gauntlet

| November 3, 2013 | 3 Replies

  “Running the gauntlet” refers to a ceremony of passage, trial, or even execution wherein a person is forced to walk or run between two lines of people who are usually armed with clubs, whips, or other weapons. The people in the lines are then free to strike at the person running up the middle. […]

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Obamacare and the Testing Gap

Obamacare and the Testing Gap

| October 31, 2013 | 4 Replies

Much has come out in the past few days over the late, minimal, and unsuccessful testing done on Healthcare.gov before it was put into production. From what I’ve read so far, it was pretty appalling and highly unprofessional. Here is a slightly edited version of what I wrote several years ago, as part of my […]

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Obamacare and the Three Errors

Obamacare and the Three Errors

| October 29, 2013 | 2 Replies

[made some minor edits and corrected a few typos] A friend of mine, a staunch Obamacare supporter, made a comment the other day, saying in effect, “Since you Republicans are complaining about the lousy website launch, you must have already conceded the argument on healthcare reform itself.” Well, no. The current mess we find ourselves […]

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Obamacare and the Oscillation Overthruster

Obamacare and the Oscillation Overthruster

| October 28, 2013 | 5 Replies

  There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. — Henry David Thoreau There is a pattern I commonly see in troubled or failing IT projects, a near-constant oscillation over a period of weeks in the system’s readiness and/or stability. It appears for a while that […]

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Obamacare and the Long Bomb

Obamacare and the Long Bomb

| October 26, 2013 | 8 Replies

The big news out of Washington in the past 24 hours is that the Healthcare.gov website has been turned over to one of the project contractors, and that Healthcare.gov will be up and working by the end of November — which is to say, in five (5) weeks. Jeffrey Zients, a former top White House official pulled back […]

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