[LINK] Fixing My Health Record system

David dlochrin at key.net.au
Thu Jan 12 11:03:20 AEDT 2017


On Thursday 12 January 2017 09:19:50 Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:

> Tim Kelsey has a degree in History and from 1988 to 200 worked as a journalist/reporter and has published a book: "Dervish: The Invention of Modern Turkey" https://au.linkedin.com/in/tim-kelsey-49bb0541
> 
> He was one of three people who founded Dr Foster.
> 
> His stint in the UK is universally considered as a total failure.
> 
> The (sort of current Health Minister) Sussan Ley has no health related qualifications at all.
> 
> Martin Bowles, the current Secretary of the department of Health has a Bachelor of Business from the Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education and a Graduate Certificate of Public Sector Management from Griffith University
> 
> Jane Halton, the Departmental secretary before Martin Bowles,  has a degree in Psychology. She had her wrist slapped for insisting on being referred to a "Professor" even though she was only an adjunct professor.

Thank you for that, Bernard!  I think it illustrates the reason there are so many expensive failures among large projects at all levels of government.  While there are exceptions, the management class generally has little understanding of the field they're supposed to be managing, in this case IT and software engineering.  (Though to be fair, Susan Ley does have a pilot's licence. :-)

There's a notion about that management skills somehow provide a mysterious meta-view which makes understanding the dreary specialist detail unnecessary.  The results are expensive cockups mired in politics.

Ahh, I've just found an old text from the Digital Scriptures....

In the beginning there was the Plan and then the Specification,
And the Plan was without form and the Specification was void.
And darkness was on the faces of the implementation team.

And they spake unto their team leader with much passion, saying,
"This is a pile of manure that smells to high heaven."

So the team leader spake unto the project leader, saying,
"It is a crock of feces, and intolerably malodorous."

Now the project leader spake unto his department manager, saying,
"It is a vessel of fertilizer, of overpowering strength."

And the department manager spake unto his center manager, saying,
"It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants and it is strong."

Now the center manager spake unto his director, saying,
"It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful."

And the director spake unto his Vice President, saying,
"This powerful new product will promote the growth of the company."

And the Vice President looked upon the product,
And saw that it was good.

David L.



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