Cargo Management Reengineering

Customer
Australian Customs

Vendor
IBM

Platform
Websphere, DB2, ZOS Mainframe

Complexity

Design detail in the 19,000 pages of analysis for ICS includes 800 screens, 16,000 business rules, 70 complex business messages, 850 database tables, 3700 executable load modules, 1800 CICS transaction types, 55 batch jobs, 90 reports and 35 system interfaces. (Source: ACS)

Technology Infrastructure prescribed by Legislation

Legislation passed in 2001 created a legal framework for electronic cargo management secured by Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) using the GateKeeper accredited certification authority to deliver registration or certification services to meet Commonwealth standards.

Failures

Not performant.
Cost blowout from $33m to $240m.
Blames users.
Usability problems.

Big bang approach with new rule sets introduced

"The problems experienced in part, flow from inaccurate and incomplete information being submitted by some users, which the new system is designed not to accept for security reasons," the spokesperson said.

Type of failure
Estimation error

Causes
Not phased in. Not running old and new system in parallel.
The system that it replaced was 4 years old.

Follow up
The Federal Government has introduced the UK Gateway methodology to manage IT project risk.