When red flags are just office decoration: Edinburgh Uni's Oracle IT disaster
Before Edinburgh University went live with its disastrous Oracle finance and HR system rollout, senior managers either didn't get the message about "red" risks or ignored it, an independent report has found.
This week The Register reported that Oracle partner Inoapps won an additional £3.6 million ($4.5 million) contract fee for "changes in requirements and additional work" following a troubled implementation that left staff and suppliers paid late. The additional contractual fee takes the total contract value to £37 million ($46.4 million) on a deal originally signed for £25 million ($31.3 million).
An independent report from PA Consulting, commissioned by the University Court, shows how before the implementation, senior managers missed the warning signs that the project – particularly the change management aspects, which were crucial for users to understand how their work would differ with the new system – was not ready to go live.
The 41-page dissection of an IT disaster [PDF] also highlights how, after the software went live, "some users, who tried to provide constructive input and feedback, felt that they were considered disruptive by leadership and not listened to."
