Odds are, I’ve been through more go-lives than you have so far. Got in the biz in the 70’s. I’ve designed large systems, been a developer, and am a qualified and experienced systems engineer. I understand the spike prob. And it does not need to be a prob, providing the server farm is adequate and configured properly, and the software itself is relatively clean going out the door. They HAVE a semi-working model and have had for years now.
Thing in this particular case is, this wasn’t their first time at the rodeo. Same types of users, same essential product, same basic functions required to underpin the site and bring the user to mama.
If the set-up was anywhere near adequate, then a comparison to Twitter wouldn’t even be apropos to this particular project. The data’s considerably more complex than twit requires, so the failures could easily have occurred in additional areas, and likely did - not that this forms a decent excuse.
The problem is, this was a DHHS project. I spent years inside their crap operations and know their game in some ways most people who work there don’t even have to see. If you haven’t been in there, you can’t really defend them, and if you had? Seriously - you wouldn’t even try, lol. They actually have a few things they do pretty well. This is just not one of 'em. In spades. shame, really. Not everybody who works for them is an incompetent jerk, or anything. Not in the technical positions, anyway. They actually have some pretty awesome people in there. This kind of stuff is just endemic to their mode of operating.
About the only way I’d back up on this, is if we hear from people who actually got in and accomplished what they came for. And so far, I haven’t seen even one. So, that’s well above and beyond the usual roll-out glitches. The chances that Sebelius actually has the slightest idea what went wrong are…a near certainty. She showed you what her level of comprehension is, and what she thinks yours is. If you believe that didn’t get covered rather scathingly during smoke breaks or lunches - heh. Frankly, I’d be expecting a little action from the Onion on this one…
EDIT: I do apologize, teapot. My original wording you complained of was a poor choice. Mea culpa, there.
