Scottish Tram Shambles
Discussion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-bus...
Wow. Just wow.
king try, let alone cut my teeth on three quarters of a billion quids worth of public money.
Wow. Just wow.
BBC Article said:
Mr Mackenzie, a Lib Dem councillor, said: "We were not people who had previously had experience of major projects like this."
I don't know how to oversee a transport project so I wouldn't f
king try, let alone cut my teeth on three quarters of a billion quids worth of public money.It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
miniman said:
It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
So true, just 125 miles up the A90 in a little provincial city the population in the private sector manages to bring huge multi-million (even billion) pound projects in under time and under budget all the time and in far more challenging conditions.steviegunn said:
miniman said:
It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
So true, just 125 miles up the A90 in a little provincial city the population in the private sector manages to bring huge multi-million (even billion) pound projects in under time and under budget all the time and in far more challenging conditions.miniman said:
It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
And you haven't seen exactly the same in the private sector? Fittster said:
miniman said:
It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
And you haven't seen exactly the same in the private sector? miniman said:
Fittster said:
miniman said:
It's not really surprising, is it? I've worked on public sector IT projects managed by people who could barely work a rotary-dial telephone. The public sector is plagued by incompetent middle management - there are some excellent people at the very top and at the bottom, with layer after layer of mediocrity in between.
And you haven't seen exactly the same in the private sector? - The dress sense, you've don't normally see such badly dressed people outside a salvation army hostel.
- The larger projects are for the strategic goals of politicians
- The press take a larger interest/have more access to what happens in government. You don't hear about private sector failures as frequently in the media.
- Big government departments are big, they do things at a larger scale than pretty much all private sector firms. So when they go wrong they make a big mess.
- There's a limited group of big IT suppliers that the government goes to all have a history of failure and high costs, however the government is scared of the public backlash of offshoring work, which would at least me cheaper.
Edited by Fittster on Tuesday 11th October 20:17
How about an example.
Scenario: a conference call, one hour long. Cost of £1 per minute per caller into the service.
Private sector: despite the relatively trivial sums, the three people involved get in a meeting room and dial in once.
Public sector: 10 people in the same building each sit at their desk and dial in separately.
Putting aside the lunacy of a team of 3 who are delivering the project working with a team of 10 who are representing the client, it demonstrates the total lack of team involvement and commercial awareness in a simple way.
Scenario: a conference call, one hour long. Cost of £1 per minute per caller into the service.
Private sector: despite the relatively trivial sums, the three people involved get in a meeting room and dial in once.
Public sector: 10 people in the same building each sit at their desk and dial in separately.
Putting aside the lunacy of a team of 3 who are delivering the project working with a team of 10 who are representing the client, it demonstrates the total lack of team involvement and commercial awareness in a simple way.
miniman said:
Putting aside the lunacy of a team of 3 who are delivering the project working with a team of 10 who are representing the client, it demonstrates the total lack of team involvement and commercial awareness in a simple way.
Tbh that's f
k all to do with commercial awareness, that's just "It's not my money" syndrome.GregE240 said:
Eric Mc said:
Is running a tram on Scotch a new form of trying to be environmentally friendly?
Stick to planes Eric.Please.
And my dad, as Scots as you like, would have agreed the issue with you.
Scotch indeed

I thought it was (quite) funny anyway
GregE240 said:
Stick to planes Eric.
Please.
Blimey, bit of a hard-to-please audience in here tonight, Eh Eric?Please.
PH stand-up has to be one of the toughest gigs going though - don't let the hecklers get you down.
Anyway, here goes.....
Eric Mc said:
Is running a tram on Scotch a new form of trying to be environmentally friendly?
Me in an outrageous Scots accent said:
Aye, but it's just a wee tram.
eharding said:
GregE240 said:
Stick to planes Eric.
Please.
Blimey, bit of a hard-to-please audience in here tonight, Eh Eric?Please.
PH stand-up has to be one of the toughest gigs going though - don't let the hecklers get you down.
Anyway, here goes.....
Eric Mc said:
Is running a tram on Scotch a new form of trying to be environmentally friendly?
Me in an outrageous Scots accent said:
Aye, but it's just a wee tram.
Dr Evil said:
No? Not even a titter?
eharding said:
GregE240 said:
Stick to planes Eric.
Please.
Blimey, bit of a hard-to-please audience in here tonight, Eh Eric?Please.
PH stand-up has to be one of the toughest gigs going though - don't let the hecklers get you down.
Anyway, here goes.....
Eric Mc said:
Is running a tram on Scotch a new form of trying to be environmentally friendly?
Me in an outrageous Scots accent said:
Aye, but it's just a wee tram.

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