Creep

Program creep…is a term used by IT types and programmers to describe what happens when non-programmers (bureaucrats) decide to manage a software development project. And I would guess that is what has happened to yet another California software project. (What is it about California and computer programs?) Those who don't know anything about programming come up with all sorts of neat ideas as to how the program should work. And one "neat" idea leads to another and another and another...

The story…“Officials in Sacramento and Placer counties expected some problems when they agreed to be the first of an 18-county consortium to launch a $744 million computer system for their welfare departments.

In both counties, workers have suffered health problems during the change in computer systems. A Sacramento County trainer died from a heart attack during a training session, and an employee was wheeled out on a stretcher after suffering a panic attack during Placer County's January launch, according to union and county officials. At least four other employees working with the new system have gone out on stress leave, two each in Placer and Sacramento counties, officials say.

Jane Rasmussen, Sacramento County's director of human assistance, expected the conversion of the two county's 170,000 cases into the new system to be difficult, but she disputes union claims that the new computer system is causing widespread ailments.

"Staff has worked really, really hard to learn the system, but there's just a huge learning curve," Rasmussen said. "They're frustrated at how long it is taking them to do their job, and that's really to be expected."

Huge learning curve? Yes, that is the symptom that allows for the diagnosis of “Program Creep”. And by the way; this has only cost the counties $675,000 to implement...so far.