Missed Deadlines

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Firms missing Y2K deadlines

By Emma Connors

Most companies have missed deadlines in their year 2000 projects, according to new survey data from the US, and anecdotal evidence suggests local organisations are experiencing similar delays.

Services supplier Cap Gemini America is tracking the Y2K progress of 127 public and private sector organisations and last week announced 90 per cent had missed deadlines, up from 78 per cent in April.Forty-four per cent of respondents have experienced 2000-related failures in the form of processing disruptions or financial miscalculations. In April, only 40 per cent reported such failures.

Local organisations have also seen deadlines blow out as the full scale of their projects is revealed, according to the Y2K industry program chief executive officer, Mr Graeme Inchley.

"It is going to be tight right up until the final deadline as companies realise it is going to take much longer than first expected," Mr Inchley said.

He said problems caused by the inability of some computer systems to process dates beyond 2000 had so far been relatively minor. Most of these, including difficulties in issuing credit cards with expiry dates beyond 2000, had been overcome.

"My personal view is that we will start to see more serious problems emerging in the second half of next year," Mr Inchley said.

The Cap Gemini America survey also found nine out of 10 of respondents are developing contingency plans to avoid 2000-related failures.

The researchers concluded this "reflects a growing sense of realism about the magnitude of the year 2000 challenge". A similar statement could be made about local organisations, according to Mr Inchley, but he notes the provision of information from business partners is still a key issue.

http://www.afr.com.au/content/981103/inform/inform7.html

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 03, 1998

Answers

The data for this survey was collected by my friend and colleague, Professor Howard Rubin (chairman of the computer science department at Hunter College in NYC).

Note the details: the data in April 1998 was only marginally better. Howard published that data, too, and spread it around all over the place -- and for the most part, the reaction was nothing more than a loud yawn.

Another key point: "the inability of some computer systems to process dates beyond 2000 had so far been relatively minor." That's crucial: as long as companies can bury the problem, or blame it on an unspecified "software problem," nobody will worry about it. I think the situation will change dramatically next spring and summer, when both private-sector companies and government agencies experience their 1999-2000 FY roll-over.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), November 03, 1998.


Good. I was expecting to see reality set in at the financial instiutions about this time or a bit later. They usually need a clout on the noggin to jostle them into the plane of reality. Ah well, they work in a totally virtual world that has existed for 200 years now - no wonder they have trouble with reality.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), November 03, 1998.

Yeah, only the reality in November 1998 is: too late to fix the Y2K problem.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 03, 1998.

Ed, I didn't realize you actually *read* this forum!

You said:

"I think the situation will change dramatically next spring and summer, when both private-sector companies and government agencies experience their 1999-2000 FY roll-over."

So do I . Starting with Wal Mart and KMart at the end of January.

-- Jo Anne Slaven (slaven@rogerswave.ca), November 03, 1998.


uummm, teacher, I think you misspelled a word in your post....isn't it "organization????"

Just had to pick on my fellow Texan, since she is our resident spell checker!! :o) Donna

-- Donna in Texas (Dd0143@aol.com), November 03, 1998.



Sir Edward, I thank you for contibution, time and patience with us...

have you noticed the continuing response from every company (and the very local, city and county governments that are working through their computer problems?

No group, no agency, no programmer, no CFO, no executive has - _after_ finishing a project, _after_ getting to a point of being ready to test his or her results - has ever said:

"It was a waste of time."

"We didn't need to do it."

"Nothing would have happend."

"We should have worried about something else." ___

I can only conclude that every business and government agency found (after working to solve the problems) that there were serious, business/critical mission failures that were found, fixed, and thereby prevented....

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 03, 1998.


Donna in TX

You are way too cool... poetic justice Gayla?

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 03, 1998.


Donna in TX and Uncle D.,

One of these days I really WILL misspell something, (sometimes I post when I am half asleep- see Donna's "where do I put it" thread) but on this occasion, 'twas not I. The article above was entirely copied from an Australian newspaper. They, as well as many in Europe, use s's instead of z's. Thanks for keeping me "on my toes." :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 03, 1998.


DRAT! FOILED AGAIN!

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 03, 1998.

Teach -

Not to bug the issue, but there was a word mispelled in your answer...

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 03, 1998.



Robert, not according to Webster.

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 03, 1998.

Mispelled, I remind you gently, is normally correctly spelled mispelled, as most users who have to put up with 3rd grader joke books will remember.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 03, 1998.

Robert E. Cook wrote, "I can only conclude that every business and government agency found (after working to solve the problems) that there were serious, business/critical mission failures that were found, fixed, and thereby prevented.... "

The possibility remains that some were not found, and not fixed. But the more gets fixed, the better off we'll be.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 04, 1998.


My dear friend, Robert. Is a word mi/spelled or mis/spelled? We can spell it anyway you want. Either way it's Y2K compliant! :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 04, 1998.

Mi spelling, yo' spelling, it's all spelling tales of gloom and destruction ... nope, Halloween is over. Sorry about that, got carried away. So where did she put all that stuff?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 04, 1998.


Jo Anne mentioned Wal-Mart and Kmart starting their fiscal year 2000 in January of 1999. I did a little searching earlier today on the net on fiscal years. Besides Wal-Mart and Kmart, Target and J.C. Penny also have fiscal year rollovers in January of 1999. Same for Home Depot and Lowe's. I guess it's time to stock up on even more "home improvement" items...

It's less than three months now till these rollovers.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 04, 1998.


Of course the commonest deadline is 12/31/1998, we'll soon know about that one. Perhaps organisations (Brit spelin but Oxford variation is with a "Z") will move the goalposts, eg instead of being totally compliant it'll be completion of mission critical systems or something. 12/31/1998 is not so much a deadline as a target, they should know by looking at their PMW plans whether they'll meet the real absolute end dates. Interesting point of Robert's, think I'll start another thread.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 04, 1998.

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