In hindsight, you could not blame ERG too much but unfortunately...

In hindsight, you could not blame ERG too much but unfortunately the IT bubble burst too early to give its time to keep its Engineers who successful finished the Manchester and Singapore Smart Card projects.

IT crash suspended a lot of IT project and Sydney Project could not start in time but delayed and delayed. It tried very hard to keep the Engineers but after more than one year delay it could not sustain the cost. So in one day, about 800 Engineers were sacked.

Then Sydney project anyway started after the bloods shed. You could contract out everything but you could not sack everyone. Now the job needed to be done but the team was not there. Smart card is not the hamburger. You have not experienced software and system Engineers or not enough them, how could you be sure the quality and schedule.

I was not a very smart Engineer but I was driven to work from 7.30am to 12pm by the IT hotness and my interests for about 3 years. The new Engineers to the smart card and the system at least need 1 year to catch up. 800 ones like me left and after they found their new jobs or opened their own business, they left forever.

The termination on Sydney project was not surprised to me. It should happen and unfortunately happened. I believe ERG board and management team have tried their best. But damages have been done and were too serious, no one could do better than ERG could get now.

Both booming and bust could kill the people. I have to say it was not ERG management team's problems but the problems of human nature. Who could resist the IT red hot booming if you were in the IT business unfortunately or fortunately.

It is useless and helpless to blame anyone else. Could you get your lessons. I am happy I got out of the psychological traps before it hurt me harder.