[SIGCIS-Members] GAO reports as a tool; IRS modernization

[James Cortada]

When I wrote volume 3 of my Digital Hand (OUP 2008) I included a chapter on
the history of IRS's IT.  As part of the research for that book I
interviewed IRS folks, and others, and concluded that (a) the IRS knew what
needed to be changed/upgraded and it seems this GAO report confirms that
IRS still has that capability, (b) that it did not have enough resources to
keep up, (c) that it had to do this without stopping even for a few days
any application, in other words be able to change all 4 tires on a car
while it was still going 50 miles an hour, and (d) that the IRS needed to
stop fearing Congress and instead be tough, demanding, and publicly noisy
about being supplied more IT staff and revenue collectors.  Looks like
those 4 circumstances have yet to change.

On Tue, Feb 28, 2023 at 10:03 PM Jonathan Coopersmith via Members <
members at lists.sigcis.org> wrote:

> Worth a look:  https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-104719#
>        the challenges of big system updating (it's not just Southwest
> Airlines)
>
> Stay sane,
>
> Jonathan
>
> Jonathan Coopersmith
> Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
>
> Professor (retired)
> Department of History
> Texas A&M University
> College Station, TX  77843-4236
> 979.739.4708 (cell)
> 979.862.4314 (fax)
>
> It's taking longer to vote - especially if you are Black or Hispanic
> <https://theconversation.com/its-taking-more-time-to-cast-a-ballot-in-us-elections-and-even-longer-for-black-and-hispanic-voters-191711>,
> theconversation.com October 13, 2022
>
> “The thought leader’s thought leader,” (interview with Norman Augustine)
> <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/the-thought-leaders-thought-leader.>
>  *Aerospace America* October 2022.
>
> Preserving space archives:  https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/
>
> *FAXED.  The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine* (Johns Hopkins University
> Press)
>
>
>
>
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-- 
James W. Cortada
Senior Research Fellow
Charles Babbage Institute
University of Minnesota
jcortada at umn.edu
608-274-6382
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