Do I sense a computer SNAFU? - Part 3

If you are a really faithful blog reader, you will recall a couple of postings about what appeared to be one of those grand computer system failures that UC has specialized in. But this one seemed to be just at UCLA. The Daily Bruin has apparently done an investigation of the Ascend affair - despite apparently not receiving much cooperation from the powers-that-be. It appears to be a $200+ million flop. To put it in perspective, you could buy three defunct Catholic college campuses in Palos Verdes that nobody knows what to do with for that kind of money!

Here are some excerpts from the Bruin's exposé: UCLA has spent at least $213 million on the Ascend Finance Transformation project, and yet, seven years after the project’s launch, it has few concrete accomplishments.  “I can’t say that I’ve actually seen a live screen for Ascend,” said Reem Hanna-Harwell, a former member of the project’s steering committee. The initial reported budget for the project was $120 million, but, according to a presentation given during the May 2024 Ascend 2.0 quarterly town hall, the estimated total cost was projected to be roughly $286 million. 

The university declined to answer exactly how much money has been spent on the project since its official start date in April 2018. The Ascend project involves a transformation of UCLA’s financial system – moving from the current mainframe system to Oracle Cloud, modernizing the chart of accounts and upgrading all business applications which contribute data to the central finance, research and budget systems, according to the 2021 project charter. The project, directed by Digital and Technology Solutions, formerly known as IT Services, intended to replace UCLA’s outdated legacy financial systems software, designed in the 1980s when the university’s operating budget was just 7% of its current size. 

UCLA has failed to provide documents relating to the project requested by the Daily Bruin over 180 days ago, despite last estimating that they would be made available Feb. 28. The law mandates that public records should be turned over “within a reasonable period of time,” according to guidance from the California Attorney General’s Office... 

According to the DTS website, the only accomplishment [of the project] seems to be the modernized application BruinBuy Plus. UCLA has not transitioned from the mainframe financial system to Oracle Cloud or fully implemented the UC-wide Common Chart of Accounts, a process the University of California Office of the President mandated to be complete by July 2023...

In the first four months of the software’s use, a backlog of over 50,000 unpaid invoices accumulated, causing monthslong delays in payments. In response, project leaders assembled a “Tiger Team” in April 2024 to stabilize BruinBuy Plus, successfully reducing the backlog – though not without consequences. These delayed payments and high outstanding balances caused some vendors to refuse future purchase orders made by the university. Other businesses, however, continue to accept them, despite persistent challenges in receiving payment. Ramin Messian, the owner of Enzo’s Pizzeria, said that around 30% of the purchase orders UCLA sends to his business are incorrect or never paid. Meanwhile, the university owed Lamonica’s NY Pizza nearly $25,000 last year, according to an assistant general manager...

Having already spent more than $213 million with limited visible progress, questions about the project’s long-term viability and eventual cost remain. A UCLA spokesperson said the university will provide an update on the finalized plan later this year, seven years after the official start of the project. 

Full sad story at https://dailybruin.com/2025/05/13/one-timeline-after-the-other-was-not-met-uclas-213-million-project-is-failing.