» Incremental Monster
This overwhelming TWE is usually the product of internal miscalculations facilitated by dysfunctional internal processes. The incremental monster often starts as a tactical solution, implemented to meet an immediate need , without adequate consideration to long-term consequences. Sometimes, the TWE is born of an ill-conceived pilot project that failed to most observers, but couldn't be killed because it solved a problem for someone important. The lesson: Even the worst IS project often has its champion--diabolically, it's often the staff that derive job security from the technical mastery of an inherently poor design. It's also common for incremental monsters to be sustained by capital budgeting systems that make it impossible to do anything but patch holes in what everyone agrees is a sinking ship.
Watch Where You Step
An IT shop's effectiveness in avoiding TWEs is a powerful indicator of its value to the enterprise. Not only does the absence of such disasters correlate with the effectiveness of IT, but it enhances the relationships between business managers and IT--because dealing with a TWE is usually disruptive to business.
There's no easy way to avoid TWEs. It requires leaders with a realistic understanding of the power and limits of technology, a reasonable grasp of organizational dynamics--especially those related to risk--and informed experience navigating the ever-changing tides of the technology market place. Keep your eyes peeled.
Dave Molta is Network Computing's senior technology editor. Write to him at [email protected]
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