SC RCSC Website Upgrade

I know that Carole. Why is it everything that happens here takes forever. A website upgrade should not take 19 months to 2 years. A whole new system could have been designed in that time and probably for less. I hope you are not paying by the hour. The library contract should not have taken 8 months and should not have happened in the first place. Mt. View 10 years??? I get so tired of the 3 or 4 who think this is some kind of paradise when things are not getting done. Look at the Grand center. You didn't even ask why I gave my old computers to SCW. It was because no one called me from SC. After a couple of weeks I called SCW and they actually answered the phone so I took them there. It's all silly.

BTW I read the reports. The website is not ready. The site is not ready. Presentation due from Tech Company next meeting, meeting with tech company. Facebook, SCW, and on and on.

 

I agree and stated as such on another thread. It would probably have been prudent to engage one of the many companies that not only help migrate old systems to new platforms, but also monitor the site and provide resolutions as needed. I was critical of the process as it was moving along, slowly. Then I remembered something critical: this system has not been maintained to a level that promotes easy transition.
Things such as IT, training and development and other program initiatives have just not been implemented. They were not being monitored by anyone as to necessary enhancements needed.
So here we are, so many years later, and it’s today. We know there are a number of things lacking, the website being one of the critical needs. Having been identified. It’s being worked on and monitored by the communications committee, led by Director Nettesheim. She is keeping them on task, plus looking at a training program for the board members. Which is why the last time I posted, I offered kudos to those involved. I still do.
When your base of support is quicksand, building a strong foundation for a new, successful and functional website takes time and effort. Give these people a chance to build what needs to be offered and move forward from there.

 

You didn't think I would look did you? Seriously Carole I was expecting to make an apology as I thought I would find all kinds of great information on in those documents. I found crap. Everything here is sitting on quicksand. It's not Nirvana. People don't care like they used to, and mostly it's due to the failure of current and past boards. I have my thoughts but will not speak to them here. I have a friend I begged not to move here, but they did. The 2 for 1 got them. I told them not to come crying to me when the proverbial crap hits the fan, which I believe it will.

 

The information posted is indeed that of greatness. You would not know how bad the IT infrastructure is because it’s not openly discussed. I can speak as to how awful it was even back 13 years ago while on the board. All the years of neglect and lack of upgrades both to hardware and software was overlooked repeatedly. Monies needed were never allocated for computer upgrades and software improvements. What we are seeing is an attempt to make the website more efficient and user friendly.
It will probably not make the RCSC a player in the digital age, as additional software updates with hardware support will be required. Digital as in interactive software that can speak to you, verify purchases with voice recognition and verification, and other dynamic features that digitized software updates can provide. It would require additional features added which will take additional investment as well as entertaining the idea of a dedicated software development monitoring system.

 

Whatever. Nothing is openly discussed any more. Your statement says everything one should know about SC in today's lifetime. It applies to most things SC. "All the years of neglect and lack of upgrades both to hardware and software was overlooked repeatedly". Replace "Hardware and Software" with your choice of words. 20 million in deferred maintenance comes to mind.

 

I find myself smiling at the inanity of comments. Sorry, but both Carole and i suffered through years on the board arguing for the membership and against a top down structure. Most of us who were actually involved raged over the technology failures and over the years, they got worse. By the time the long-tenured gm left, it was a total shit-show.

It is exactly what happens when you give management absolute and total control and you relinquish the single most important job a board has; oversight. Board's trusted she would always make the right decision. No one is that smart or that good. History taught us well, a community like ours was and still is best served when the membership is directly involved.

To be clear, it doesn't need to be everyone, not 75%, not 50%; because we know from our history, it never reached those kinds of numbers. What we do know, and what we have learned is the broader the spectrum of members committed to ownership, the better off the community is.

Some folks take me to task; either for being too outspoken/critical, while others get angered that i am a cheerleader for the RCSC. I've watched as closely as anyone has over the past 22 years and i see glimmers of hope. I see steps taken to restore some of what was lost. I also see enormous opportunities to evolve further and grow the circle.

Organizations never change overnight. In fact, when they get headed in the wrong direction, stopping them and ultimately turning them around is slow and painful. We've suffered through three general managers since 2006; finding the right one this time around is imperative. Whoever they hire won't be our salvation, they should be a rock of stability, consistency and committed to helping grow the sense of community.

I find it ludicrous to those critical of the recent RCSC's efforts to rebuild our technology. There's was virtually nothing that didn't need a massive overhaul. They started from less than ground zero and as they are climbing their way out of the hole, new problems crop up daily. I applaud their efforts and rather than releasing a website with bugs, they are working to get it done right. Kudos to them for that.

We've come a long way baby (tip of the hat to that old Virginia Slims commercial), and we have an even longer way to go. We know from our history, nothing was ever perfect and yet as we trudged down the path, those on the journey stayed the course, righted the ship and we sailed on.

We will this time as well.

 

For someone who doesn’t pay attention to somebody, you sure have a lot to say about him.

Regarding technology, who has a bigger budget for this, Banner or RCSC? Banner holding company net income for 2024 was $168 million dollars, what do you think?

 

Thanks for pointing out the obvious Dave. Comparing the RCSC and Banner regarding where each is with technology is like comparing an apple to an elephant. Banner/ Boswell was dependent in their technology needs while the RCSC was far removed with a fraction of the budget.

On a brighter note, we heard today the RCSC is close to working out the bugs and releasing the new website.

 

As usual you have no idea what you are talking about because tech has nothing to do with deferred maintenance. Maybe if you got you posterior out of the house and went to some meeting, such Budget, Finance & Audit you would not sound like a drooling idiot. Oh, and make sure you quote me entirely not your usual cherry picking act.

 

Dave I get out and volunteer. I never said tech had anything to do with deferred maintenance; however, this is far from the first time you have misunderstood the written word. I am not quoting you at all and when I used to I always had the post to prove it. Now I just report every snarky post you make.

I want nothing to do with anything that involves SC RCSC or HOA. What I have experienced from former BOD members and committee members (current included) on this site I have zero desire to be a part of anything SC. You all just beat the crap out of each other and anyone else you don't agree with. Remember all the Katlick bashing?

How many have resigned early, or just walked out and quit? RED FLAG to a dysfunctional business.

How old were you when you had your first traumatic experience? Must have been quite young as it has been proven kids usually don't mature past that age mentally. I am guessing 12.

 

To all who are interested in technology in Sun City.


Cut and pasted from a previous post

“The old DOS, LINUX and other significant outdated technologies

are still in use.”



Ubuntu Linux will run quite nicely under Windows and is

NOT obsolete. I use it frequently under Windows.

Does it take time to learn – YES a little bit. Is it functional – YES.

It does everything I want using Linux under Windows.

If the RCSC has apps that run exclusively under Linux

they should be rewritten to run under Windows not be made to

fit into the new web site..





It is best to rewrite applications to suit your specific needs,

not try to make them work in newer operating systems or web sites.

Inevitably old software will cease to be supported.



If golf has specific needs for a special program, that should be explored

and software written for today’s operating systems and the RCSC’s needs.

New software should be able to run in Windows 11 and next gen Windows.





How much is allocated on Technology? Give me an accurate

number, not an opinion.

I would wager that the budget is woefully inadequate.

Technology is constantly changing and competent organizations

have a budget to support ongoing changes.

A budget for an organization the size of the RCSC is definitely

more than 5 hundred thousand a year.

When employed I was spending 6 to 8 training classes a year on new

hardware and software. The goal was to stay current with technology

and be prepared for new innovation.



Have there been changes to RCSC’s technology – yes, but those

changes do not keep up with the ever changing technology.

As is quite evident, we keep falling behind with regard to technology.

Constant school training is required to keep up with technology changes.

How many directors of technology has the RCSC had in the past 10 years?

FACT not fiction.

How much has been spent just upgrading Hardware?

Fact, not opinion.

How much has been spent on new Windows compliant software?”

FACT, not opinion.



How long – fact – not opinion, has the new web site been in progress?

What was the original date of acceptance by the RCSC?

FACT, not opinion.

I’m guessing it’s taking so long because there have been constant requests

for changes or additions to the site. If that is not the reason a new

web site provider is in order.

Will it fulfill everyone’s desires, wants, and expectations? NO

You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t

please ALL the people ALL the time.

How much is the new web site costing us? Again, FACT, not opinion?

What new or innovative software has the RCSC employed in the last 10 years?

FACT, not opinion.





I could go on, but I’m sure this post will fall on deaf ears and those who think

They are Technology experts. THER'E ARE NONE.

I’ve been doing technology since 1961 so I have a little bit of knowledge

when it comes to keeping up with technology demands.



Just one persons opinion. Slam at will but be advised, RCSC will NEVER catch up.

 

SCR,
A few answers to your statement/questions posed.


“The new web site has been delayed until late May. This is due to issues with TEG integration. Umbraco

Cloud was being used in our new environment. TEG would not work successfully with it. A new release of

Umbraco (13) has just been released. It appears that TEG can integrate using this new release. TEG

software runs on its own server”
Please note, this is not Windows integration, but a whole new language and software program being created and implemented.

I have stated, as has Bill Pearson, there has been NO EFFORT MADE IN OVER 10 YEARS to maintain these technology systems. None

There have been great strides made to integrate old technology using outdated language to utilize the new software program. The new technology software uses its own proprietary technology and it is not based upon Windows 10 or 11. It will eventually work with those platforms but it is not the first base for the new technology.
The new upgrade, per the committee note has been allocated $300k. Seeing as how this is a completely new system rebuild to include the golf software modifications, that is an amazing price for what needs to be done and implemented.
Hopefully, this answers a few of those questions.
Please feel free to go to the RCSC website and read the notes posted by the Outreach Committee for the last two years and see what they have been working on and doing to make this change come to fruition.

 

SCR,
Yes, the budget is woefully inadequate for projected costs to maintain what is being built and the needed additional hardware to support additional technology. The digital infrastructure is a critical component to any business and not staying current means we are not staying competitive. There needs to be a regular system maintenance program that keeps up and maintains the system daily. That means allocating additional money and resources to make sure these enhancements stay current and remain fluid for stability of use. The needed infrastructure to support additional services and enhancement needs to be a regular budgetary requirement. I have not seen this projected budget moving forward, so I can’t speak to allocation moving forward.

 

Hey SCR, why would anyone be angered by your comments? All are on point and are exactly how realistic problems should be solved. As far back as 2008 members were asking about technology and where we were but the GM didn't see it as a priority. When Carole and i were on the board, our "tech guy" was the one who reprogrammed the ipads when a director left. Beyond that, no idea what his skill set was.

I know he went on the become the guy overseeing our buildings (after the assistant gm retired), and was given a nice pen to red-line projects midstream (the reason the Vintage Car Club has a swamp cooler rather than AC). I know after that debacle he was moved to oversee clubs where they functioned more in a policing fashion. Clearly he was a man of many talents.

In June of 2018 the long range planning committee made a motion for the board to review every aspect of our technology. We knew it was bad (that's being really kind), but following the summer break the board members running the LRPC returned in Sept and told us the board had no interest in doing that. None. In reality the GM had no interest, hence the board followed suit.

In a side note, the board directed the guy referenced above, the one with many talents, was tasked with figuring out how to provide security (cameras) across all of our amenities. He found three companies who diagrammed a plan. The board applauded the amazing job he did and if you check, nothing ever happened with the proposal.

Then the real shit hit the fan. When Bill Cook became the permanent GM, he revealed the rest of the story. By then we had hired a technology specialist who had just left Sun City West. To Cook's credit, he provided us all a glimpse of just how bad it was. In a town hall type setting, the new tech guy did a presentation that shocked and rocked the crowd.

Almost nothing was operational, current or worth saving; short of TEG. The golf software was functioning fine for scheduling tee times and holding our election. The amount/number of outdated programs and hardware was staggering. The wiring in many of the centers wasn't even properly marked as they were trying to dig out of the very deep hole.

The board and the GM formulated a plan to fix stuff; the budget the first year was 500k and a larger IT team. I'm no IT guy, but we all knew it was a drop in the bucket for what our needs were. They've made inroads, but we are far removed from ever catching up. Apparently they've got a new tech guy, younger and apparently pretty good. The problem of course is we can never compete against for profit corporations who place a premium value on technology and keeping abreast of the latest and greatest.

All of which is just an effort to renew the idea that boards have to hold the GM accountable. The decisions made back starting in 2006 are still haunting us today and worse yet, we are paying for them 5-fold had we just paid attention.

Sadly, we didn't.