Re: Process kills the dot.com

Subject: Re: Process kills the dot.com
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 10:39:50 -0700

Andrew Plato wrote:
>
> Just read a great article today on this Soundbitten web site. If you're in love
> with a process methodology, you should read this...
[snip]
>
> For all those that say dot.coms are failing because they don't implement good
> processes - well here is one that failed because it DID implement a process. It
> also shows that process without leadership, control, and focus is useless and
> dangerous. Verde handed over its firm to these process freaks and would have
> done a lot better to just "do it all by hand."
>
> So next time you're angry that your managers won't accept your internationally
> recognized technical documentation process methodology - it might be because
> they read this story and realized what a waste of time processes are.


I've always felt that extreme advocates of process were too rigid,
so I'm tickled by this bit of evidence. Thanks for pointing it out,
Andrew.

It seems to me that one of the key points in the article is that
Scient tried to replace knowledge with process. The Scient employees
trying to implement the process didn't have any knowledge of the
industry they were working in, so they couldn't be flexible enough
to adapt. If problems existed, their solutions were to market the
process differently, or to insist even more firmly in sticking with
the process.

In fact, the real solution would have been to change the approach.
However, its implementers didn't know enough to change it, and I
would guess that the Scient managers had too much of themselves
invested in the process to realize that it didn't have all the
answers.


--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7189 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"All those people that you mention,
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame,
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name."
- Bob Dylan, "Desolation Row"

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