[LINK] It's the business case, stupid

[David Boxall]

On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 at 14:03:02 +1100 Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> ... IMHO, the reason most projects fail ... is 
> because of the business case, not the implementation.
>
> ...
> Grocery Choice site a money-waster
> Blair Speedy
> October 07, 2009
> http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,26177042-15319,00.html
> THE federal government's Grocery Choice website was flawed from the 
> outset and unable to provide shoppers with meaningful price comparisons, 
> a Senate committee has heard.
> ... etc
>   
The initial effort seemed to be an attempt to give the appearance of 
fulfilling an election promise. It was so laughably inadequate that the 
government realised it hadn't fooled anyone, so ...
> After a poor response from shoppers, the government handed over the 
> running of the site to consumer advocacy group Choice, only for 
> Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson to cancel the project a week 
> ahead of a planned relaunch in June.

Industry lobbyists convinced Emerson that the project is not feasible 
(and carries risks of sterility and dandruff). To an outsider like me, 
lobbying causes corruption. This example just tends to prove it.

Thing is, Choice seem to think they had a handle on the problem. 
<http://www.choice.com.au/Consumer-Action/Food/Food-policy-and-campaigns/A-fair-deal-for-supermarket-customers/Page/Grocery%20Choice.aspx> 
I feel we've been deprived of something potentially valuable.
 
-- 
David Boxall                    |  When a distinguished but elderly
                                |  scientist states that something is
http://david.boxall.name        |  possible, he is almost certainly
                                |  right. When he states that
                                |  something is impossible, he is
                                |  very probably wrong.
                                                  --Arthur C. Clarke