One of the most common responses I get when I ask the question “Why do you follow those specific steps in that process?” is “Because we’ve always done it that way”
Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper, a pioneering computer scientist whose work was central to the development of COBOL, is purported to have said in relation to projects requiring change:
“The most damaging phrase in the language is ‘we’ve always done it this way!'” and
“Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ I try to fight that. That’s why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.”
Here at LINQ we see three major areas that cause transformation projects (or any project) to fail
- Current State Blindness
- Poor Prioritisation
- Decision Paralysis
These can be present in their own right or one can lead to another – a perfect storm of indecision and ignorance!
As a result of one or more of these issues being present you end up with projects that either fail or don’t deliver the outcome expected. A 2011 survey by Dr Dobbs Journal showed that almost 70% of respondents had been involved in a project they knew would fail right from the start. (link)
“Because we’ve always done it that way” is a major factor in current state blindness – not only because the steps that an organisation are taking can be out of date, but because the very resistance to change leads to a fear of looking under the hood to see what problems may exist.
With LINQ we bring an easy and powerful tool that enables you to accurately model your current information supply chains and specify the people, resources and cost involved in the flow of information as it works its way through your organisation. Once there is a common understanding of the current state supported by accurate data, and we can see the value of those outcomes, CxO’s and Transformation teams can make educated data driven priority decisions that help towards a successful outcome.
If you’d like to know more feel free to start a conversation at letschat@13.210.234.248