November Update 2008

[moggy]

We have a problem with Cover. The call sequence is as follows:

 

Original call at end Sept:

trying to print off cover slips.

comes up with an error

"object reference not set to an instance of an object."

 

Capita Response:

Error: 2089-5763-8600 is a known issue and is with our Escalation team. A fix process of being developed.

 

Capita next:

Your case has now returned from our development team and the fix will be included in the November release, unfortunately a patch cannot be provided to resolve this issue.

 

Capita again after we'd applied Nov release 2 and it still failed:

Unfortunately this was not fully fixed in November release it has again been sent down to escalation for them to develop a complete fix

 

Capita finally:

A developer has looked into this issue and unfortunately it is not fixable by a patch and a fix will be included in the December release of SIMS.

 

Roll-on Xmas!

[jcollings]

In what way doesn't it work?

 

Our SWC related reports function ok post upgrade?

 

It's not the SWC ones. Actually if you could check this I would appreciate it.

 

The report just contains forename & surname of staff then the absences subtable with abs. start and abs. end filtered by date.

 

When I (and the capita agent) ran this it only pulls abesences upto a certain date despite me knowing there are more.

 

The answer I got back was this is a known issue since Nov.

[forcryingoutloud]

Nov. release 1 went on and apart from a couple of issues (cover being one) and it dropping the sql server connection at random, it went ok

[Opensource]

I have applied the November release and now I can't transfer timetable from T6 to SIMS.net.

 

Capita have supplied a patch (the fault won't be fixed until the March release) so I'm trying it on the test system.

[lindsayecroft]

i agree

[kmount]

I have applied the November release and now I can't transfer timetable from T6 to SIMS.net.

 

Capita have supplied a patch (the fault won't be fixed until the March release) so I'm trying it on the test system.

 

We applied patch 12603 for this very issue last night.

[WithoutMotive]

Applied the Nov release last night and all seems hunky-dorey so far. (famous last words)

[matt40k]

I have applied the November release and now I can't transfer timetable from T6 to SIMS.net.

 

Capita have supplied a patch (the fault won't be fixed until the March release) so I'm trying it on the test system.

 

I was under the impression this was fixed in Nov 2?

 

I assume you didn't create your timetable in 4? (Or try to export from 4 to 6\SQL)

 

We've had loads of problems with the FMS, but we did go from v.6.91. Kept missing the DLLs, only on random ones too, still over all the updates appear to be a bit slow. Something "fun" to look into next time.

[kmount]

Definitely not fixed in Release 2, well not for us anyway, but the patch fixed it.

[EduTech]

I installed Nov Main 2 last night, everything has worked today no problem! which is good.

 

I do have the Patch to solve problem with Novat copy back to do tonight but that should work ok.

 

will let you know ofcourse if there is any problems

 

James.

[Opensource]

I was under the impression this was fixed in Nov 2?

 

I assume you didn't create your timetable in 4? (Or try to export from 4 to 6\SQL)

 

We've had loads of problems with the FMS, but we did go from v.6.91. Kept missing the DLLs, only on random ones too, still over all the updates appear to be a bit slow. Something "fun" to look into next time.

 

Nope. We use T6 not T4 and the patch is for November 2 (and later) only.

[malachy4]

I used to work in the Development team for Capita/SIMS and I can assure you that they do not follow anything like industry standard software release controls.

 

They are building on sand with software that has been consistently rushed into market and/or fixed with sticking plaster and they are not willing to invest in getting it right.

 

They try to do far too much for every release, with not enough investment in supporting their people and way too little process discipline.

 

It's astonishing that they only have to re-release once or twice each time.

 

The people there are great and they bust themselves trying to get it right in the forced timescales, but the management are simply milking the business, the staff (and the customers) for all they are worth.

 

How many times have you been promised functionality or a release only to find it is delayed or faulty - often at the last minute? They make promises they cannot keep because they do not consult the people who will be doing the work and trying to work out what the heck the answer is!

[dhicks]

I used to work in the Development team for Capita/SIMS and I can assure you that they do not follow anything like industry standard software release controls.

 

Settles that question, then. In fairness, I think this marks Capita as just plain average - I imagine that there's lots of decent programmers toiling away in larger companies, wishing they were developing the next Google with the latest agile development processes but winding up churning out software any old how for use in a limited market and for sale and purchase by sales staff and managers with no real grasp of the software's capabilities or their institution's IT needs.

 

Anyway, so your last job sucked - are you doing something more interesting now?

 

--

David Hicks

[matt40k]

Gonna have to agree with David, gonna take that with a pinch of salt. Still be interesting to hear what exactly you was doing at Capita and where you are now etc.

[Tonyoung]

Malachy - the one post wonder ?

[matt40k]

Malachy - the one post wonder ?

 

I think PhilNeal has found him, or at least scared him off... his profile looks a bit... unprofessional

[malachy4]

I've been too busy being professional to spend much time on Edugeek since my post

 

Agree that they are probably no worse than a lot of organisations, but the sad thing is that they simply are not learning from years of the same problems repeating over and over again.

 

People (like me) do try to introduce greater control to improve the quality and reliability of deliveries, but the aggressive profit targets set by "Big" Capita are the top priority, so they will never make the required investment in time and people.

 

Every release is a panic of fixes and a battle between the Product Managers and the development teams. When it is inevitably late, little consideration is made for the impact on the next release. So teams are constantly playing catchup - and with no money for extra resources, the things that suffer are quality and functionality.

[powdarrmonkey]

I've been too busy being professional to spend much time on Edugeek since my post

 

I'm not sure you meant that the way it sounded.... are you inferring?

Edited December 4, 2008 by powdarrmonkey

[dhicks]

Agree that they are probably no worse than a lot of organisations, but the sad thing is that they simply are not learning from years of the same problems repeating over and over again.

 

The answer is probably to start your own company to make a better product, or start an open source project. The problem is that large database systems like a school's MIS are, let's face it, dull - the good programmers are going to want to be working on cool, snazzy, web 2.0 products that the entire world will use and give them kudos for, and you'll have a hard time convincing people to contribute to an open source MIS (although a couple of project out there are trying). Ho hum.

 

--

David Hicks

[Willzzz]

How about a cool snazzy web 2.0 MIS?

[Tonyoung]

 

Agree that they are probably no worse than a lot of organisations, but the sad thing is that they simply are not learning from years of the same problems repeating over and over again.

 

People (like me) do try to introduce greater control to improve the quality and reliability of deliveries, but the aggressive profit targets set by "Big" Capita are the top priority, so they will never make the required investment in time and people.

 

Every release is a panic of fixes and a battle between the Product Managers and the development teams. When it is inevitably late, little consideration is made for the impact on the next release. So teams are constantly playing catchup - and with no money for extra resources, the things that suffer are quality and functionality.

 

Would be interested to know what you tried to introduce in terms of control that got knocked back ? If I was a Capita investor I would be quite reassured by your post but as a customer I don't know what to make of it. As it's your first ever post to this forum one has to assume there must be some form of malice towards Capita.

 

Look forward to you proving me wrong. I am off to the bank to buy some Capita shares....

[matt40k]

Be interesting to find out who malachy4 really is... perhaps an IP address Mr EduGeek would be a start.

 

I can't imagine Capita would have a such a poor development scheme after years and millions of pounds of investment. Ok, lets face it, educational software isn't great. But even so. From what malachy4 said so far it makes me thing some sad Capita end user has created an account on here, possibly using a new hotmail account (or such) and just ranting. At the best, he works for Bromcom

 

For the time being we have to take it all with a pince of salt, at least until malachy4 puts up or shuts up. (Roll on Phil!)

Edited December 4, 2008 by matt40k

[malachy4]

I'd hoped for some interesting debate about the subject of SIMS development and how it affects customers, but it seems that isn't going to happen.

 

Most of the respondents appear to be loyal SIMS devotees, which is fair enough.

 

There is one thing I must clear up, though:- I was not suggesting for a moment that it's the developers who are not up to scratch. They do a grand job in difficult circumstances and some are among the brightest I've worked with in 20 yrs of IT industry experience.

 

Adios, then. I shall keep my views to myself from now on.

 

Phil - if you're reading this, rest assured that I bear you and SIMS no malice - I was just after some sport

[dhicks]

Most of the respondents appear to be loyal SIMS devotees

 

Hey, not me! I'd prefer to have our school's data in a nice open source system of some kind, but then there's the question of the data we've already put in to SIMS (not, actually, all that much, really, and it is exportable) and the fact that SIMS does at least work and has every feature we currently require - any replacement system is going to have to go through the whole basic-features-first-then-grow, which will take at least a couple of years, and in the meantime our admin staff need a working MIS right now. I figure the answer lays in the Web 2.0 world of writing small, stand-alone web apps that all do one small, easily-implementable function, and gradually implement the functions of a full MIS bit by bit - SIMS dies the death of a thousand pinpricks. However, I for one am rather too busy right at the moment trying to stick various bits of hardware together to make computer workstations for classrooms to go doing proper software development, and I figure most other people in this forum are in the same situation. Heck, most of the people here, by definition, probably have a specialism other than software development.

 

I was not suggesting for a moment that it's the developers who are not up to scratch. They do a grand job in difficult circumstances and some are among the brightest I've worked with in 20 yrs of IT industry experience.

 

I suggest you poach a bunch of them to go work with you creating a school MIS using the latest agile software development methods. I've always figured it'd be great fun working for a proper, small, smart startup - just a manager/secretary, graphic designer and four or so developers should be enough.

 

--

David Hicks

[EduTech]

Jumping off the comments above, just thought i would let you guys know that both

 

Main Nov 1

Main Nov 2

 

- have caused no issues with our systems

 

the 2 patches that were released

 

one via solus and one sent via email both installed and again no problems.

 

the one sent via email was a database update.

 

Thought i would let you know

 

James.