Who Killed the Virtual Case File?

This article reports on the failure of the Virtual Case File (VCF) project of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The VCF was supposed to automate the bureau's paper-based work environment, allow agents and intelligence analysts to share vital investigative information, and replace the obsolete Automated Case Support system. Instead, the VCF contractor, Science Applications International Corp. delivered 700, 000 lines of code so bug-ridden and functionally off target that in April 2005, the bureau had to scrap the multimillion dollar project. However, various government and independent reports show that the FBI, lacking in IT management and technical expertise, shares the blame for the project's failure.