If recent reports in the press are to be believed, Centrica is suing Accenture for £182m for a failed customer billing system. At a cost of £317m the project which began in 2002 was designed to combine British Gas’s electricity and gas billing schemes into one system. What emerged allegedly, was a catalogue of problems which resulted in poor customer service and thousands of subsequent customer defections.

What implications does this have for future major IT Transformation projects? Do the consulting firms grin and bear it, while quietly increasing their Professional Indemnity insurance? Will we see an increase in projects run by a consortium of firms to spread the risk?

If you’re happy to take the glory when you’re part of an award winning project……are there any career implications for consultants engaged in projects which hit the headlines for the wrong reasons? Or is this missing the point completely…..do clients have unrealistic expectations and the consultants are the easiest people to blame when it all goes wrong?