~ 5 NOV 1999
“KH
John Meagher
POCL
20-23 Greville Street
London
ECIN 88S
5 November 1999
Dear John
On 2 November Min Burdett, Martin Box, David Pye and myself
met to discuss how to document the progress on criteria for
rollout for consideration on 24 November. In relation to activities
taken from Acceptance Incident 376, Martin supplied a table
containing numbers of outlets affected by the problems
encountered before and during the monitoring period. This table
classified the very large numbers of outlets affected by the problem
initially described under TIP Reference 934 as “under dispute”.
We wish to make it clear to POCL that ICL Pathway holds POCL
to be responsible for this problem. (For the record also, the fact
that this letter does not treat other problems listed in that table
does not mean that ICL Pathway agrees to the classifications given
to them there. These will be dealt with separately.)
The essence of events was as follows. ICL Pathway correctly
applied POCL-supplied Reference Data after having provided the
agreed report to POCL and having received due authorisation.
The data was, in fact, incomplete and this caused disruption to the
live system. Also, ICL Pathway had identified the potential
problem and had formally notified POCL of the need to rectify it
in June but POCL had not acted on that warning.
This experience demonstrates ICL Pathway’s concern that the end-
to-end reference data process is not sufficiently robust. John
Bennett’s letter of 4 November makes clear that we consider this
to be an end-to-end, and therefore a joint, issue. Both parties
therefore have to commit to developing an operating interface
agreement that is more stringent than both the one that was being
discussed, and that actually in use.
POLO0028561
POL00028561
(CL
ICL Pathway
Forest Road
Feltham
Middlesex TW13 7EJ
POL00028561
o”
Py
2:
ICL Pathway has devised a number of new checks to screen data,
even though that data may have been approved by POCL. These
will be brought into service as soon as possible in the New Year.
ICL Pathway is considering what other safeguards it can apply, for
example pseudo-model office output checks, to ensure that errors
are not propagated to the field. We expect to communicate these
proposed safeguards shortly.
In the meantime, ICL Pathway urges POCL to be particularly
vigilant in putting through Reference Data changes, to address
open action items and to co-ordinate and promote related Counter
News announcements.
Yours sincerely
John Dicks
Director, Customer Requirements
Copies: Min Burdett, Martin Box, David Pye, Keitli Baines}
Ruth Holleran
John Bennett, A Oppenheim, Steve Muchow
POL00028561