F.B.I. Director Faults Himself for Delays of Software

The New York Times ^ | February 4, 2005 | MICHAEL JANOFSKY

[bd476]

February 4, 2005

F.B.I. Director Faults Himself for Delays of Software

By MICHAEL JANOFSKY

ASHINGTON, Feb. 3 - "Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the F.B.I., told a Senate panel on Thursday that he and a federal contractor were to blame for agents still not having software that would allow them to file investigative and intelligence information directly into their computers.

Appearing before an appropriations subcommittee whose Democratic members did little to shield their irritation, Mr. Mueller also said the failed efforts to develop the program, known as Virtual Case File, or V.C.F., would cost taxpayers as much as $105 million. He explained that a test now under way could determine whether part of the program could be salvaged or whether it would have to be scrapped.

"I am responsible, at least in part, for some of the setbacks," he said, adding quickly, "however, the contractor responsible for V.C.F. bears some responsibility."

"No one is more frustrated and disappointed than I at the delays we have encountered," he said.

Mr. Mueller's concession came on the same day the inspector general of the Justice Department issued a 95-page report chronicling the failure of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to complete the third phase of technological upgrades, a $581 million project known as Trilogy that began in late 2000. The project took on urgency after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, when it became clear that agents who still relied heavily on pens and paper could not easily send and share vital information.

The report noted that the first two phases were completed - upgrades of the bureau's hardware and software and communications networks. But it concluded that modernizing an "antiquated case management system" was far from complete after three years of trying, at a cost of $170 million. Mr. Mueller told the panel that the bureau still had $53 million in usable hardware and software and $12 million left to spend in the program.

Despite Mr. Mueller's assurances that the bureau finally had control of the effort, questions to him were, at times, unusually spicy for the austere setting of a Senate hearing room. At one point, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and ranking member of the subcommittee on commerce, justice and the judiciary, expressed testiness over Mr. Mueller's failure to bring up problems with Trilogy at a hearing last May. And Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, pressed Mr. Mueller to identify who at the bureau was going to "get this back on track?"

"The pope's in charge of the Catholic Church," Ms. Mikulski said, "but who's in charge of the confessional?"

With a broad smile, Mr. Mueller assured Ms. Mikulski, "I'm in charge of the confessional."

Besides citing a lack of proper oversight from the bureau, Mr. Mueller said the company hired to develop the Virtual Case File system by December 2003, Science Applications International Corporation of McLean, Va., had produced a software program that was fraught with problems. The company, he said, agreed to make fixes within a year at an additional cost, conditions that Mr. Mueller said were "unacceptable to the F.B.I."

Nonetheless, he said he decided to test parts of the program with agents in the bureau's New Orleans office and to hire another company, Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, Calif., to determine whether the overall program both met the original requirements and could be saved. He told the panel that Aerospace could find "no assurance" that Science Applications had produced a suitable program.

"Needless to say, Mr. Chairman," Mr. Mueller said to Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, "after three and a half years, this was disappointing news."

Officials from the two companies were scheduled to testify after Mr. Mueller, but Mr. Gregg called a recess in the hearing because of other commitments, promising to reschedule their appearances.

In his written testimony, Arnold L. Punaro, executive vice president of Science Applications, defended his company's work, saying it had been hampered by the ever-changing needs of the F.B.I. after the 2001 attacks. While Mr. Punaro acknowledged "some areas where we made mistakes," he said his company delivered a "successful" project to the bureau two months ago.

But in his prepared remarks, Garry P. Pulliam, a senior vice president at Aerospace, said his company had recommended scrapping Mr. Punaro's program and starting over with commercial off-the-shelf products.

Mr. Punaro said Aerospace had analyzed the wrong software and presented the F.B.I. with a 'flawed report.' "

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Quiet please. The Bureau is down for its morning nap.

[stainlessbanner]

hampered by the ever-changing needs of the F.B.I

Scope creep

[3AngelaD]

If every bank, credit union, department store and grocery store in the known world can figure out how to keep records, communicate and compare notes, why can't the FBI? I think the contractor ought to have to pay back the government.

[bd476]

LOL. I am feeling some sympathy for Director Mueller. It sounds like he's being made out to be the fall guy.

On the other hand, SAIC sounds like they are also being made out to be the fall guy.

Then there is the second opinion company who sounds jealous that they didn't get $100 million in the 2001 contract bid.

Related stories:

SAI says FBI should deploy its software

California defense contractor warns employees following computer theft

[bd476]

Stainlessbanner wrote: "Scope creep."

What does that mean?

[LibFreeOrDie]

Here's an interesting alert from SAIC, the company who developed the software:
http://www.saic.com/cover-archive/announce/012805.html

"SAIC was victim to a break in at one of its corporate facilities on January 25, 2005, and several personal computers were stolen that contained personal information on current and former stockholders."

Here's SAIC's testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee:

http://www.saic.com/cover-archive/law/trilogy.html

[bd476]

I agree. I am wondering why they subcontracted this out. Wouldn't it have been less expensive and more secure to hire their own computer software program designers?

Oops, I forgot, the Feds don't pay enough for those guys with pens in their pockets.

[isthisnickcool]

$105 million? What are the automating? The universe?

What was the problem with this? Gee, they were using snORACLE. That wasn't the problem was it? Nah! /sarcasm off

Checkout how many job openings they have. Over 1000 in Virgina alone. Hey, I thought all the tech jobs were going overseas! Well, at least they have Workforce Diversity.

Looks like a bloated pig of a company working on bloated pig government projects and not doing a very good job judging by their failure on this FBI project.

[stainlessbanner]

Scope creep is a project management term that means requirements constantly change; the scope of your project changes. Large projects like this always have scope creep because nobody can ever agree on what should be delivered.

[RKV]

Scope creep: Changed and or additional requirements which are not initially specified. Could be "gold plating" could be necessary functions not uncovered during the design phase. Fairly typical occurance on large complex design from scratch jobs due to the top-down nature of requirements analysis. Very hard to avoid. Requires ruthless management to get a working product which covers user needs. Other ways around this are to 1) buy commercial product and adapt it or 2) stage deliveries so that functions are delivered, tested and implemented in pieces so that their risk can be removed from the overall project. Look at how much a new airplane or sub costs for similar situations.

[bd476]

Thank you LibFreeOrDie. :)

Earlier I posted Arnold Punaro's proposed testimony before a Senate Sub-Committee here:

Arnold Punaro's Record Testimony

And SAIC's statement concerning the break-in and theft of several company computers is posted here:

Theft of SAIC Computers Containing Stockholder Personal Information

Here's another thread with the news story concerning the theft of several of SAIC's computers:

California defense contractor warns employees following computer theft

[bd476]

Thank you Stainlessbanner. That makes complete sense. So you are saying that it is not uncommon to have "scope creep" on this large of a project? That must be true. Much has happened between early 2001 and December 2004. I wonder how this will resolve.

[bd476]

Thank you RKV! :)

If a hypothetical computer program was delivered in stages, which in this case, I believe it was, and then they find glitches, which in this case, they did, I wonder if at the point of complaining about the glitches, if the FBI then decided to ask for even more features added into the original program.

That might have meant SAIC having to start all over again with a very delayed completion of the original project.

[LibFreeOrDie]

"But it concluded that modernizing an "antiquated case management system" was far from complete after three years of trying, at a cost of $170 million.

I hope they tried to create a new, simplified way of doing things FIRST instead of enshrining the old, inefficient process in new code.

Part of the problem may be due to stonewalling, or passive-agressive "sabotage" on the part of gubment employees who don't want to change the way things are done, or who want this project (and administration) to fail.

I've worked on several large-scale software projects; scope creep + employee stonewalling + poor management = a "Death March" project.

[LibFreeOrDie]

"If a hypothetical computer program was delivered in stages, which in this case, I believe it was, and then they find glitches, which in this case, they did, I wonder if at the point of complaining about the glitches, if the FBI then decided to ask for even more features added into the original program. That might have meant SAIC having to start all over again with a very delayed completion of the original project.

Bingo! That is EXACTLY what happens!!

[stainlessbanner]

Have you read the Book Death march? I'll bet you have.

[bd476]

Maddening way of getting anything done.

[stainlessbanner]

bd476 - you got it! Now that you understand risk management and scope creep, the FBI is looking for a new project manager : )

[maestro]

F.B.I. Director Faults Himself for Delays of Software ....

....(This has nothing to do with the 'INS'...?)

/sarcasm