Thursday, March 19, 2009

Oracle Fusion completion date slips

This is too good not to mention. Vinnie Mirchandani listened in on Oracle's Q3 conference call yesterday and picked up on Larry Ellison's comment about Oracle's next generation Fusion apps being scheduled for delivery in 2010.

Vinnie points out that in 2005, Oracle had slotted Fusion to be delivered in 2008. So, there has now been an unacknowledged two year slip in delivery of Fusion.

I also recall a post I wrote in January 2006, noting Oracle President Charles Phillips' claim that Oracle was already "half-way to Fusion."

So, in one year (Jan. 2005 to Jan 2006) Oracle completed 50% of the work. Assuming now that the 2010 reschedule date is good, it now means that it have taken another four years to complete the second 50%.

To me it sounds like the old project management joke about the project that is 90% complete for 90% of the time.

Update, Mar. 24: A Spectator reader who actually listened to Oracle's conference call points out that Ellison said that Oracle would begin to deliver Fusion apps "around the end of this year," 2009, not 2010. This doesn't change my main point, though, that Oracle was clearly exaggerating in January 2006 when it said that it was "half way to Fusion" after one year of work.

Related posts
Mr. Fusion leaving Oracle
Oracle's secrecy on Fusion specifics
More on Oracle's Fusion strategy
Oracle's Fusion strategy: clear as mud
Fusion to build on Oracle's E-Business Suite
Oracle going dark
Is Oracle's Fusion really half complete?
SAP slams Oracle's strategy as, Project Confusion

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