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Univ. of Wisconsin's 30-Year-Old Payroll System Needs a $40 Million Fix

Posted by timothy on from the too-big-to-not-fail dept.

jaroslav writes "The University of Wisconsin is attempting to update a payroll system they have had in place since 1975, but spent $28.4 million in a 2004 attempt with no results, and now is experiencing new overruns in cost and time after 'not hav[ing] the full picture of how complex this project would be.' The current estimate of the redesign is $12 million and years of further work on top of the money already spent."

13 of 418 comments (clear)

  1. That's a nice budget you got there by xdor · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would totally sign up to do this job.

    1. Re:That's a nice budget you got there by CorporateSuit · · Score: 5, Funny

      Re-engineering a 30 year old system that's been accreting features for 30 years, though, isn't an easy task.

      for $10M per dude, it doesn't have to be. I'll bugfix this thing with badgers gnawing on both my arms for that kind of pay.

      --
      I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
  2. As a UW Student... by cheezitman2001 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just want to say how glad I am my tuition's going to a good cause.

  3. Re:Oh, ffs by aztektum · · Score: 4, Funny

    srlsy! Also, it was made in the 70's! How complex can a program on a handful of punch cards be?!

    --
    :: aztek ::
    No sig for you!!
  4. No problem. Just find some smart badgers. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I'll bugfix this thing with badgers gnawing on both my arms for that kind of pay."

    That's nothing! I'll get the badgers to do the coding.

  5. Feature accretion by macraig · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Re-engineering a 30 year old system that's been accreting features for 30 years, though, isn't an easy task."

    I love it when you talk dirty like that! Gimme some more, and say it in a hoarse whisper!

  6. Should we change the name? by pig-power · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe...
    just maybe...
    we can call it "The Looney-versity of Wisconsin".
    Would be appropriate.

  7. Well here's your problem by BigSlowTarget · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fire everyone, buy quickbooks is not an appropriate answer then?

    Not to mention $40 million / 60k employees is $666 per employee - there's your problem. Its the payroll system of the Apocalypse (integer math only need apply).

  8. Re:O.K. So... by magarity · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why?
     
    Probably hard to find parts for whatever vintage 1975 mainframe it runs on. If you only know PC's, imagine trying to buy a brand new VESA bus SCSI card for your legacy 486 mission critical system.

  9. Re:FRIST!!!! by paazin · · Score: 3, Funny

    frist

    What is it with these fans of Senator Bill Frist and them always wanting to sound off about him at the start of every slashdot thread?

  10. A university has lots of unpaid laborers by kybred · · Score: 4, Funny
    It's a university... they have thousands of undergrad CS students who can work for free. Just assign it as a 4 year project to the incoming freshmen and voila! In four years you have a system that cost $0!

    And if it doesn't work, you give them all 'F's and start again with the next incoming class.

    1. Re:A university has lots of unpaid laborers by buttfscking · · Score: 2, Funny

      I go to a UW school. Know this: you do not want a UW computer science student to touch your computer, let alone a project of this magnitude.

  11. Re:Managers often have profound ignorance. by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Funny

    The world will be a better place when all the managers retire who were raised without computers.

    But will get much much worse a short time later when managers who were raised on twitter take effect.