Subject: Big software development projects going sour in Israel?

From: Omer Zak <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:29:40 +0300

Once in a while I read about some project or other, usually in USA or
Great Britain, which incurs big delays and/or huge overruns along with
under-delivery of promised functionality.  All this - after sinking tens
or hundreds of millions of US$ or GB Pounds.

I don't remember reading about such failed projects in Israel.

Are the Israeli government and municipalities somehow immune of such
colossal project failures, thanks to the MENAHEL methodology (or another
reason)?  If not, are those failures successfully swept under the rug
and kept secret?  Or is Israel simply small enough for such projects to
be small enough to be kept under control?

                                          --- Omer
-- 
One does not make peace with enemies.  One makes peace with former
enemies.
My own blog is at http://www.zak.co.il/tddpirate/

My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone.
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---

From: "shmoocon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:38:25 -0000

--- In [email-masked], Omer Zak <w1@...> wrote:
> under-delivery of promised functionality.

There haven't ever been any big software development projects in
Israel because Israel is a consumer nation that doesn't produce
anything. The only jobs in Israel are cheap labour for foreign firms.
Can you think of a computer that was invented in Israel or a
programming language, or anything at all? Israel is not a high-tech
country it's a high-tech sweatshop nation like India only India have
got better jobs and working conditions...

Have a look at the big project at Israel Discount Bank. It's the most
bloated overrun I've ever heard of, in any civilised country everyone
would be in prison by now. The bank spent hundreds of millions of
dollars of their investors money on nothing. Virtually everything was
written by bank contractors and employees and it's been going on for
almost 10 years. The agreement is all of the programmes and
documentation the bank pays for GOES BACK TO THE FIRM THEY HIRED TO DO
THE WORK! Meanwhile the firm they hired actually delivered only a tiny
percentage of actual code. It's a ripoff on a grand scale. They put
foreign managers in place to run up the budgets, charging for every
changed item while the idiot Israelis happily write the same programs
again and again without ever finishing anything. All of the people who
failed to do the work first time round are still on the payroll. If
IBM Israel couldn't get the job done then why are they still on the
job on the second or third go?

All of the money went to foreign firms and Israeli IT companies and
they've produced nothing but delays and more delays. At the end of the
day it will be a great load of rubbish needing overhaul in short time.

At least in the U.K. and U.S. they actually do their own work whilst
in Israel they prefer to hire foreigners and piss away other peoples
money. Why haven't Israeli contractors been paid to do the job?

Shlomi in Canada

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From: Udi Oron <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:07:31 +0300

Hi Omer!

> I don't remember reading about such failed projects in Israel.

You might find this interesting:
http://www.themarkerit.com/article/844

Udi

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From: Omer Zak <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:02:27 +0300

> http://www.themarkerit.com/article/844

Thanks.
Synopsis for the lazy: this is a news item about a failed IT project
which Ness was to deliver to Harel, the insurance company.  Harel wanted
about 100 million NIS as compensation.

Since the article is dated from 19.8.2007, does anyone have more recent
information about this?
                                          --- Omer
-- 
MS-Windows is the Pal-Kal of the PC world.
My own blog is at http://www.zak.co.il/tddpirate/

---

From: Uri <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:30:31 +0200

> MS-Windows is the Pal-Kal of the PC world.

I prefer my computer to collapse than my ceiling!  People don't
usually die when their personal computer collapses....

May all victims of PalKal rest in peace....

- Uri

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From: Shlomi Fish <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 19:58:31 +0300

> May all victims of PalKal rest in peace....

Regarding "victims of Pal-Kal" you may wish to consult this:

http://shlomif.livejournal.com/37841.html

Regards,

	Shlomi Fish

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Shlomi Fish      [email-masked]
Homepage:        http://www.shlomifish.org/

I'm not an actor - I just play one on T.V.