Census Challenges

The Washington Post had a recent story on the problems at the Census Bureau, a story that Editor Allan Holmes has written extensively about in Government Executive. The problem is that the Census Bureau is relying on capturing census data using handheld wireless devices, but the project has had cost, schedule and technical difficulties. Congressional leaders and their staff were briefed last week by Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Steve H. Murdock, new director of the U.S. Census Bureau, on the status of the project.

The Census Bureau thinks that it can work out the problems and be ready for the 2010 Census. Marc Raimondi, a spokesman for Harris, the contractor, said, “It's a large IT system integration program. It's not unusual for a program to have challenges.”

Not risk, mind you, but challenges. There are many, myself included, who think some pretty extensive contingency planning is needed in case these "challenges" aren’t able to be surmounted, but the Census apparently believes that isn’t necessary. We won’t have to wait much longer to find out whose right.