If just one state government computer system had experienced problems, we could accept it and move on. But we were reminded this week that five major computer systems launched during the administration of former Gov. Bill Owens have experienced serious problems. The latest flawed system, this one for titling and registering vehicles, suffered from serious mismanagement since the inception of the program, according to an analysis by an outside consultant.
William Browning of the North Highland Co. told lawmakers on the state Senate and House finance committees Monday that Colorado has a “terrible reputation” for handling its computer projects.
The troubled systems have cost Colorado taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. And to repair or replace them will cost many millions more. It’s tempting to blame people no longer around, but that serves no productive purpose. What we need to do now is fix the problems and make sure they don’t happen again.
We hope the new administration of Gov. Bill Ritter is up to the challenge because taxpayers are counting on them to “right the ship,” as John Conley, deputy director of the Office of Information Technology, aptly put it this week. The new IT specialists hired by Ritter need to deal with the problems and put in place a plan to avoid a repeat in the future.
The vehicle registration system, CSTARS, cost taxpayers $10.9 million and was antiquated and plagued with problems even before it debuted. A review of what to do next – including whether parts of the system can be salvaged – is underway, but state officials told lawmakers it could cost up to $15 million if the entire system has to be replaced.
As the new IT officials review the problem systems, they have identified at least two common threads that likely played a role in the various difficulties: lack of adequate project management and failure to implement necessary “business requirements.” That means that the five major problem computer systems – including CSTARS, CBMS (which administers and dispenses welfare benefits), an unemployment benefits system at the Department of Labor, a payroll program at the Department of Transportation, and a voter registration system for the Secretary of State’s office – all likely lacked proper management oversight and excluded key people from the development process.
Colorado still faces an $11 million repayment to the federal government for overpayment of food stamp benefits stemming from the troubled Colorado Benefits Management System. It’s unknown what caused the errors: the computer, the users who still don’t know how to work the system or something else. Since its premature launch in 2004, the $200 million-plus system has caused numerous headaches for county officials and poor people whose food and health care benefits have been delayed.
Last year, the labor department and the secretary of state’s office both canceled computer contracts with Accenture collectively valued at $55 million.
Colorado’s new chief information technology officer, Mike Locatis, told lawmakers Monday that for the future, the state needs to target proven computer systems, not untried and untested custom systems. Sounds like good advice.
