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US Air Force Scraps ERP Project After $1 Billion Spent

Posted by samzenpus on from the on-second-thought dept.

angry tapir writes "The U.S. Air Force has decided to scrap a major ERP (enterprise resource planning) software project after spending $1 billion, concluding that finishing it would cost far too much more money for too little gain. Dubbed the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), the project has racked up $1.03 billion in costs since 2005, 'and has not yielded any significant military capability,' an Air Force spokesman said in a statement. 'We estimate it would require an additional $1.1B for about a quarter of the original scope to continue and fielding would not be until 2020. The Air Force has concluded the ECSS program is no longer a viable option for meeting the FY17 Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) statutory requirement. Therefore, we are canceling the program and moving forward with other options in order to meet both requirements.'"

16 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. New project by Director+of+Acronyms · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd like to see them implement a CRM system instead

    --
    Never look back at the carnage.
    1. Re:New project by c0lo · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'd like to see them implement a CRM system instead

      Are the victims of drone attacks complaining much about the quality of service?

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
    2. Re:New project by Spy+Handler · · Score: 4, Funny

      CRM? Good idea. Then the Air Force can keep better track of its customer data like which Buckwhupistani wedding received a Predator strike package and which one got a JDAM shower and so on.

    3. Re:New project by jhoegl · · Score: 4, Funny

      A gift is a gift!

    4. Re:New project by crutchy · · Score: 4, Funny

      just be thankful the Buckwhupistani's don't return the gifts

    5. Re:New project by evil_aaronm · · Score: 4, Funny

      If they are, they should: if a drone fired at them can't take 'em out, something's not working correctly. /* Note: I'm not for drone strikes, necessarily, but, dammit, if you're targeting something, you'd better take it TF out. */

    6. Re:New project by wooferhound · · Score: 4, Funny

      This project has grown too big to fail . . .

      --
      We are Dead Stars looking back Up at the Sky
    7. Re:New project by TheLink · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you a consultant?
      http://www.despair.com/consulting.html

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    8. Re:New project by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Are the victims of drone attacks complaining much about the quality of service?

      No, the service was a hit.

  2. Let me guess... by Max+Threshold · · Score: 2, Funny

    They were writing it in Ada and targeting Windows NT 4.

  3. Re:Ouch. by cusco · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow. I guess that this is a new record, eclipsing even the FBI's failure from a couple of years ago. Have to say, I am impressed. Leave it to the Pentagram to do things bigger and worse than anyone else on the planet.

    --
    "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  4. Re:Ouch. by osu-neko · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh wow, it gets worse. Oracle won this with a $88.5 million bid; what the hell took the Air Force so long to pull the plug with that kind of overrun?

    What's an order of magnitude between friends. :p

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  5. Enterprise resource planning? by Namarrgon · · Score: 4, Funny

    If only they'd had a better ERP system, they could've planned this project more carefully, and put all those resources to better use.

    --
    Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
    1. Re:Enterprise resource planning? by a_hanso · · Score: 4, Funny

      Did you... just... invent a bootstrapping ERP system?

  6. Re:1B? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You should learn the different between affect and effect. One can effect the other but the other doesn't necessarily affect the one.

    When you figure out how they are different, come back and we can talk.

  7. Re:those billions by nateb · · Score: 3, Funny

    A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon, you're talking about real money.

    --(sic)

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    -- Nate