Learning lessons from HealthCare.gov glitches

www.HealthCare.gov

HealthCare.gov is the joint creation of CGI Federal (design) and QSSI (coding), and there are such glitches galore with the site that the blame game is on.

The main contractors who designed the glitch-plagued government health care website argue that the Obama administration shares responsibility for problems with the digital rollout. 

Andy Slavitt, who represents QSSI’s parent company, told the Associated Press the administration made a late decision to require applicants to create accounts before browsing health plans. That process has been just one of a slew of complaints about the system. Blame game aside, Congress has been taking a hard line against the plague of glitches. Democratic Rep. Richard Nolan of Minnesota said the glitches have damaged the health care law and told the AP the president “needs to man up, find out who was responsible, and fire them.”

Reference: Obamacare Website Designers Point Fingers at the Government.

Obamacare is meant to improve healthcare, while managing costs and reforming the system.  There has been such political wrangling over this, that it's no wonder some things fell through the cracks with its website.  If you're a small business owner, there are lessons to be learned vis-a-vis the design of your website:

• You may have partners, investors and other stakeholders, who need, or merely want, to have input in the website.  You must reconcile these potentially conflicting or competing interests, before approaching a designer.  
• It is not the job of the web designer to decipher, debate, or resolve these interests.  So by the time he or she comes into the mix, you and your stakeholders must have a working agreement not just about the purpose and objectives of the website but also about responsibility and accountability for it.  
• It goes without saying that the designer must have the ability and scruples to deliver on your purpose and uphold your expectations.  You probably have a tight budget to work with, so you aren't able to engage major design firms.  No worries: The designer simply has to deliver on what you need.
• Once you and the designer have come to terms on a contract, then be sure you have regular check-ins to monitor progress on the design.  It doesn't have to take a lot of time and effort, but it must be done regularly.  Time and time again, projects go awry because of insufficient monitoring.  
• Agreeing on, and settling, payments is of course part of the project.  It makes sense to set milestones and timelines, even if it's a small project, and tie these with scheduled payments.  Nothing ruptures the working trust between client and designer more than delayed or absent payment.
• Finally, a debrief is in order at the very finish of a project.  But I also suggest agreeing at the outset on what follow-on contacts you'll have with the designer, for example, if questions or problems arise.  These are inevitable, because we're all imperfect people with imperfect tools and systems.  

By the way, Obamacare is the common name for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).  Here is a reference: ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act.