One last Y2K lesson: People get the job done BY Colleen OHara 06/21/2000

As the Year 2000 Information Coordination Center officially closes this month, Peter Kind, the ICCs director, attributes much of the programs success to teamwork.

"People are really what make it happen," Kind said, speaking Tuesday at the GovTech conference in Washington, D.C.

But in order for people to be successful, Kind said, they must have fast, reliable equipment and managerial support. "If you want to make the process efficient, give them the tools," he said. "Properly led and motivated, people get the job done."

Under John Koskinen, head of the Presidents Council on Year 2000 Conversion, the ICC collected, analyzed and shared Year 2000 incident information among representatives from federal, state and local government agencies and industry.

The ICC World Wide Web site had more than 3 million hits Dec. 31, 1999. But aside from a few minor millennium bug-related incidents such as a Defense Department satellite that failed and the 4,000 small businesses that did not download compliant software, the rollover occurred without incident, Kind said.

The lessons learned from the ICC experience, Kind said, include proof that it is possible to gather information from domestic and international governments and private industry and make it available in a timely manner

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2000/0619/web-y2k-06-21-00.asp

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 21, 2000

Answers

Kind, Colleen O'Hara, and Koskinen are presumably not regular visitors to this site. As in the thread "Question," about the Navy report, I too would like to see a comparison of this year's sewage spills, blowing manhole covers, airplane scares, etc., with the Navy report's expectations and previous years' doings.

I don't expect to see much in the way of financial effects till late this year, or even till next year, for the largest companies.

-- L Hunter Cassells (melllyrn@nsit.gov), June 22, 2000.