How 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.

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Is there lead in Seattle’s drinking water?

First there was Flint, Michigan’s horrific revelations of high levels of lead in the city’s water supply. Last week, Tacoma revealed that it had found high levels of lead in samples taken from older homes, and this morning it was reported that two Tacoma schools tested for lead in its water last year.  This has raised questions about whether the residents of Seattle should also be concerned about lead in their water. This morning, officials from Seattle Public Utilities briefed the City Council on the issue, and the good news is that almost no one in Seattle should be worried. …

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