Red flags independent of software development finesse or skill:
- Centralized payroll operations to effectively the middle of no where (effectively ensuring that no existing payroll specialists would staff up the new center). Locate operations in the middle of no where to compensate for another government program and center being shut-down.
- Sole source contract. To IBM no less. To customize and configure PeopleSoft. There's literally nothing that sends good vibes in that setup.
- The very concept of running a big bang switch over of like 75% of the federal government to a new payroll system.
- Launched without end to end, full system test
- Launched KNOWING that critical functionality (like retroactive pay) was not implemented, and that critical requirements were failing tests.
- Deciding to roll out despite their new centralized payroll center was already less efficient at handling payroll on legacy systems and that their central assumptions were already being challenged
- Deciding to roll out despite receiving reports from client departments that the initial data transfer into the new system was already significantly incorrect
- Quote: "In our opinion, they had received more than enough information and warning that Phoenix was not ready to be implemented, and therefore, they should not have proceeded as planned. Phoenix executives prioritized meeting schedule and cost over other critical elements, such as functionality and security, resulting in an incomprehensible failure of project management and oversight"
You can read the audit here: https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/english/parl_oag_201805_0...
Software is only tangentially related in that the "magic" of software lets people believe that such projects are even possible.