This is the final post of a 3-part series looking at NCIS, the new customer service and billing system for Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light. This post looks at how the city’s capital budget process is fundamentally broken. (Here are links to part 1 and part 2)
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NCIS launches, part 2: what comes next
This is part 2 in a 3-part series looking at NCIS, the new customer service and billing system for Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light. This post looks at how IT support is being reorganized within the City of Seattle’s departments.
Continue readingNCIS goes live this weekend (part 1 of 3)
This coming weekend, while we are enjoying the Labor Day holiday, Seattle City Light (SCL) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) plan to finally launch their late, over budget NCIS billing and customer service system. This is the first installment of a 3-part series looking at NCIS, the new customer service and billing system for Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light. This post looks at what will happen during the rollout, what the utilities’ customers will see, and what happened over the last six months to get to this point.
Continue readingNotes from this morning’s Council Briefing
Some quick hits from this morning’s Council Briefing, mostly about new legislation about to be introduced.
Continue readingCouncil tweaks Seattle City Light strategic plan
Last Thursday the Council’s Select Committee on Seattle City Light Strategic Planning met for the third, and probably last, time to consider amendments to SCL’s biennial update to its master plan.
Continue readingThis week at Council Chamber
Monday morning, the Council Briefing will feature an annual report presentation on the Yesler Terrace affordable housing project. Monday afternoon’s Full Council meeting will have the final vote on approving the sale of the Pacific Place Garage, and eleven appointments tot he Seattle Design Review Board. This week’s Introduction and Referral Calendar has two items of note: a Chief of Police Audit Report; an extension to the Seattle Opera’s lease of the Mercer Arena. Tuesday morning the Civil Rights. Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee meets, with a full agenda including: a review of the Economic Development and Arts & Culture elements …
Continue readingCouncil puts Seattle City Light’s Strategic Plan under the microscope
Following on last week’s meeting of the Select Committee on Seattle City Light Strategic Planning that heard an overview of the Strategic Plan, this week the committee drilled down into the details.
Continue readingCouncil reviews Seattle City Light strategic plan
The City Council held the first of three meetings this afternoon to review and approve the Strategic Plan for Seattle City Light. Ironically, our rates are going to go up unless we start using more power.
Continue readingHow NCIS Went Badly Wrong
Thanks to a public disclosure request and some helpful folks at SPU’s public information office, I got copies of the monthly reports of Tim Almond, the QA consultant for the troubled NCIS project. NCIS is the new billing and customer-service IT system for Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities that has been under development for the last two and a half years, and is now a year late and $43 million over their original budget. Almond’s monthly reports paint a harrowing picture of a project that went wrong early, often, and predictably.
Continue readingThis week: busy busy busy
It’s going to be a very busy week for the Council. Especially Tuesday.
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