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TOPICS
Feedback grows more positive on Navy intranet project
Pentagon officials unveiled a survey this week showing Navy Marine Corps Intranet users are increasingly happy with the historically troubled program.
"We're going in the right direction," said Edward Schmitz, the customer satisfaction chief at the NMCI director's office. "The positive survey feedback will continue to motivate us in providing the best service possible."
Specifically, NMCI users are pleased with the assistance they are receiving from the program's help desk, according to the March 2004 Incentive and Help Desk Survey Results. The study found more than 86 percent of users were happy with the service they received, an increase of 4 percent from December. The percentage that was satisfied with the help desk response time also rose significantly, officials said.
The NMCI network is being developed to link more than 360,000 military and civilian Navy personnel around the world. In March, Navy Secretary Gordon England told Congress, "NMCI has enabled us to increase the security posture of our networks and has given unprecedented visibility into IT costs. As we roll out NMCI, we are doing away with the over 1,000 separate networks that the Navy used to run."
At almost $9 billion, NMCI is the largest federal information technology contract ever awarded, but it has been plagued with delays and technical problems. The company developing the system, computer services giant EDS, has seen its stock price fall and its operating losses grow over the troubled program.
Navy and EDS officials acknowledged during a Tuesday conference call with reporters that many new NMCI users still were displeased with the network.
NMCI has a "moving mass of new users," Schmitz said, "who are almost going to be, by definition, not happy."
But NMCI officials remain upbeat about the program's future. Navy officials are investigating ways to better handle changes or additions to the system. Tim Thomas, an EDS official, said that company representatives are using survey results and customer input to improve service. He noted that EDS is reading and acting on each NMCI complaint or comment that is received.
COMMENTS
- I seriously doubt the numbers that are used by EDS. I have traveled to various commands that have switched to NMCI and uniformly they state that NMCI is a step back in capability and performance. They range from lack of reliable connectivity, lack of timely support, lack of system intergration, lack of flexiablity in supporting user requirements, just to name a few (and there are many). I wish that the Navy and EDS would own up to the truth and admit to the fact that EDS was unprepared. EDS should eat the cost of being unprepared and the Navy should act like a customer and demand a product that addresses requirements, instead of a cohort to EDS and trying to bail them out. GovExec.com reader Posted June 23, 2004 2:22 PM
- I'm acually surprised at the low quantity of negative feedback letters received on this article. Customer Service Feedback is one of the worst options for an organization's metrics. Invariably, the person's general mood leads to either overly inflated or caustic comments which do not reflect the actual service rendered. Since statistics show there is a 14 times greater likelihood to pass on negative feedback than positive, these results are actually very, very good. Think back to the last dining out experiences you've had. Did you tell as many friends/acquaintances about the good experience as the bad service/food? Then again, you can cook statistics to show whatever you want through careful use of sample controls... NMCI is a good overall concept but is definitely working through major problems getting implemented. "I've been NMCI'd" is a familiar statement around the bases I work at. (And no, before "tax payer" rants about it, my job has nothing to do with NMCI.) I do work with many different location's management and have run into a ridiculous number of problems with having to change, reformat, translate, etc between commands. DON needed desparately to do something with the literally thousands of applications, generations and personal favorite programs in use. No business can function efficiently that way and DON is trying to eliminate it. Have some patience, provide constructive feedback - both positive and negative - and things will get better. GovExec.com reader Posted May 19, 2004 7:32 AM
- You think the government is going to tell you the truth about one of their bad contracting deals? Come on, get real, the NMCI is a waste of the taxpayer monies and will never be of any value. These people are bought and sold as cheap as possible. The government will continue to lie to the taxpayers because they want to, pure and simple. Ask the keepers of the information if they are required to publish all of the information or if they can just pitch it in the trash. The truth will set you free King George, try it at least once. GovExec.com reader Posted May 18, 2004 7:05 AM
