Why a "tech surge" won't help the ACA website problems.

[Scuba]

Because nine women can't have a baby in one month.

There's only so many resources you can through at a problem like this before they're just getting in each other's way.

This may take a bit of time to sort out. In the meantime, please recommend face-to-face or telephone enrollment, both of which have been totally ignored by the media.

[FarCenter]

1. Brooks's law

Brooks's law is a principle in software development which says that "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later". It was coined by Fred Brooks in his 1975 book The Mythical Man-Month. The corollary of Brooks's Law is that there is an incremental person who, when added to a project, makes it take more, not less time. Brooks adds that "Nine women can't make a baby in one month".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks's_law

[Scuba]

2. Thanks. I'd forgotten the author of the "law".

[backscatter712]

3. I think part of it is getting competent programmers on the job.

Sounds like the contractor didn't do that, so now they have to bring in the rainmakers.

And yes, you're right, it'll probably take another few weeks to squash the really obnoxious bugs, though my guess is that after that, the site will become usable for more people.

[seabeckind]

9. I think you missed the point.

There were many competent programmers on the job. The problem is that quite a few times the rational voice is drowned out by the background noise.

In a development environment when so many disjointed actions are going on the developers will usually withdraw into their cocoon and do exactly what they are told (or impled) and keep their heads down.

Because of all the contracting out that was pushed in the federal systems the competent systems architect who was part of the customer base was pushed out and replaced by an outsider. That means that the "ramp up time" is not just for a team member working on the development but also for that outsider to learn the business rules.

BTW, this condition is not exclusive to the public sector. Saw it many times in the private sector and even in non-programming environments.

The Dreamliner comes to mind.

[justiceischeap]

15. I also think part of it is that they neglected to do load testing.

I know there are other "bugs" with the app/software but it seems some of the problems would have been solved had they just load tested the site.

[RagAss]

4. All it takes is one Assclown architect....

...and it's "Beyond All Recognition" time.

[seabeckind]

11. In a controlled environment where the architect is an employee

the assclowns are weeded out.

The problem arises with the introduction of vetting by a contractor. They'll swear a guy is the greatest designer in modern history and has to be billed out at $300 an hour. And needs a staff of 20 to hold his coffee and they need to be billed out at $200 an hour.

Even tho he failed in every system prior to the one being bid.

Nobody checks.

[RagAss]

12. So true. This miserable reality began during the Y2K scam...

and instead of learning lessons about outside contracting then, most CEO's believed they were saved from disaster by these scam artists. In the aftermath, the loyal, screwed over employee, is left with the mess to clean up.....as always.

[seabeckind]

5. Wow, thanks for the memories...

From the wiki on the Mythical Man Month:

"The tendency for managers to repeat such errors in project development led Brooks to quip that his book is called "The Bible of Software Engineering", because "everybody quotes it, some people read it, and a few people go by it." The book is widely regarded as a classic on the human elements of software engineering."

I read it and I lived by it.

And I have noticed that all of its principles were immediately forgotten in the face of a cost-plus contract.

[Kaleva]

6. How are the individual state exchanges doing?

[Scuba]

7. Great from what I hear. Living in Wisconsin doesn't help.

[seabeckind]

10. The states have a much smaller scope

and limited business rules.

The fed system had to incorporate the opt-out state's rules. And based on the experience I've had with documentation...

[Puzzledtraveller]

8. Thankfully we set up an exchange

We will also begin taking applications in office on December 16th. Currently only the web application is available and we are directing clients who are interested on how to apply on-line or in office in December.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

13. that is flat out not true. you know nothing about software engineering if you believe that

[Scuba]

17. Really?

I'll put my 32 years of successfully leading large, complex software development projects up against whatever you want to throw out there.

[tkmorris]

20. I know a bit about software engineering and he is absolutely correct

In principle anyway. I do not know for certain that it applies to the ACA web design issues, but the point he makes is spot on.

Imagine one hundred people simultaneously trying to determine why your kitchen faucet leaks. Not independently, working as a TEAM.

[msongs]

14. the reality is "for profit" not "for quality. grab the $$ then demand more nt

[Ohio Joe]

16. You are correct

Simply putting more resources on a project is not a cure-all though management seems to always thinks it will be. More often then not, the real issue is that there was not proper requirements gathering, analysis or design done up front... The old 'Start coding and we'll tell you what we want later'... Or as it's now called 'Agile development" is fated to be bug ridden.

[ieoeja]

18. Social Security website is much older. And has pretty much the exact same problem.

I tried for a couple days to signup. But couldn't. The Experian verification kept screwing me. Yes, SSA has the same damned thing.

Experian is lining congress critters pockets to ensure that they, and they alone, are given the rights to do this.

[renie408]

19. I really don't understand this at all.

Or maybe I am just not reading it right or something.

Cause one woman can't have nine babies in one month and nine women can't have the same baby in one month, but nine women can have a baby in one month. And I am not sure I get that, no matter which of those you are saying.

Are you saying that too many cooks spoil the broth? Is that it? Too many people working on this will repeat each other's work or come up with different solutions for the same problem, etc?

Couldn't different teams approach different problems and debug them? I am not at all tech savvy and not arguing with you about your take on the situation...I am just not sure exactly what you are saying.

[FarCenter]

21. Adding more people requires redoing the work breakdown, training the newbies, more coordination

It also may change what is in a unit and unit testing, as well as integration testing.

[AngryAmish]

22. I deal with a HHS contractor many times per month

(medicare reimbursements)

When there is a medicaid reimbursement, I call up one of two guys who do it for the state. They have been doing it for years and they are the most competent government employees I know. They punch my client's name into the system, find out how much medicaid paid for their bills and with a little bit of back and forth we have a deal.

It takes 90 days to find from medicare how much they paid for medical bills. This is after several letters setting up an account. Paperwork is routinely lost. I once had to wait a year and a half to find out how much we owed the government - and I could not pay my client their money or take mine. Now I have a form lawsuit against the government to be filed in federal court each time they go over the time limit to get a reimbursement number. I then email the lawsuit to an asst. US Attorney, who gets irritated, then she starts raising hell with the contractor and this shakes things loose. It is no way to run a system where I am trying to give the government money.

Long story short - the problems that are being had are in no way surprising to me.