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ANALYSIS
PARALYSIS JUST MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE
By
Ronald G. Ross, September
1999
Many
predators hunt based on movement. In fact, even with their keen eyesight, they
cannot really "see" unless the prey itself moves. Consequently, many
hunted animals are programmed literally to "freeze with fear." Not a
bad move if it tends to save your life.
Recently,
I had the chance to review a major-league mess at a large organization that
didn't "freeze with fear." I won't go into all the details, but
let's just say they got on with the coding phase of a large project way too
early. The wounds are deep, and one way or another, the company will ooze red
ink, its very lifeblood. Where did it go wrong? The usual no architecture, no
business rules, no top-down business model.
On
the software side, the company was sold a bill of goods. It was promised that
a breakthrough software product could replace their legacy systems in four
months. (Yes, they should have known better.) To go with that was a spiral
"methodology" based on the mantra, "analyze a little, design a
little, code a little, test a little." The company learned the hard way
what that actually means in practice-rewrite a lot, for a very long time.
Projects
out of control, and belief in the fairy godmother-these are nothing new. I
know this has been said many times, but let me say it yet again. There are
simply no silver bullets. You need to do a business model before you do your
system design, and you need to do your system design before you start your
coding. That is, unless you can afford to spend the rest of your life in
rewrites and "maintenance."
So,
what does "analysis paralysis" really indicate? Maybe that...
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The
business problem itself is hard. Do you believe that thinking about it in
a coding language (or in IT system models) will make it easier?
-
You
don't really know what the business problem is. In that case, the cure may
prove a lot worse than the disease.
-
You
can't get the right answers from the right people. Then what exactly are
your chances of success?
-
You
have significant differences of opinion about the business itself. Do you
think programmers will make better choices?
-
The
future is hard to predict. Do designers and programmers have better
crystal balls?
-
You
don't really know what is needed. So rolling the dice is the right answer?
-
There's
actually no answer to the business problem as posed. Better rethink the
business problem up front!
-
You're
simply not smart enough to solve it. I doubt that, not if you get the
right people together.
-
You
don't have the right approach. That's the most likely one. Think
architecture, business rules, and a top-down business model, and you'll be
O.K.
So
the next time you hear anyone say watch out for "analysis
paralysis," I hope you will take pause. Just freeze-it may save your
life. Somewhere close by there's probably a programmer poised to pounce on a
keyboard.
©
1999, Ronald G. Ross.
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September 2005
The Fin de Siegle Legacy Mindset
By Ronald G. Ross -- (November/December 1999)
August 2005
Analysis Paralysis Just May Save Your Life
By Ronald G. Ross -- (September/October 1999)
July 2005
If We Had Started Coding Already...
By Ronald G. Ross -- (July/August 1999)
June 2005
Your Core Business Processes Need a Rule Engine
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May 2005
Four Things Wrong with the Way We Develop Information Systems
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April 2005
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By Ronald G. Ross -- (November/December 1998)
March 2005
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By Ronald G. Ross -- (September/October 1998)
February 2005
The Next Great Leap Forward ~ About the Changes You See
By Ronald G. Ross -- (May/June 1998)
January 2005
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By Ronald G. Ross -- (March/April 1998)
December 2004
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November 2004
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September
2004
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Ronald G. Ross -- (September/October 1997)
August
2004
'Why'
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Ronald G. Ross -- (July/August 1997)
July
2004
Never-ending
On-the-Job Training
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (May/June 1997)
June
2004
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Ronald G. Ross -- (September/October 1996)
May
2004
The
Newest Idea In Business Rules: Rules Normalize!
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (March/April 1996)
April
2004
An
Open Letter to DBMS Vendors: We Need Active Database Systems
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (January/February 1996))
March
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The
Greatest Irony Of The Information Age: Business Rules
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (May/June 1995)
December
2003
Business
Rules:
Knowledge For Knowledge Workers
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (November/December 1995)
November
2003
"Play
Ball!"
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (March/April 1994)
October
2003
Enterprise
Architecture: Issues, Ingibitors, and Incentives
By
John A. Zachman -- (November/December 1999 & January/February 2000)
September
2003
Packages
Don't Let You Off The Hook
By
John A. Zachman -- (July.August & September/October 1999)
August
2003
The
History Of Steam-Powered Ships
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (November/December 1988)
July
2003
Life
Is a Series of Trade-Offs and Change Is Accelerating!
By
John A. Zachman -- (January/February & March/April 1999)
June
2003
"Business
Rules, At What Cost?"
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (January/February 1994)
May
2003
"Yes
Virginia, There IS an Enterprise
Architecture"
By
John A Zachman -- (November/December 1998)
April
2003
Business
Rules: Birth of a Movement
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (May/June 1994)
March
2003
Business
Systems And Information Support Systems
By
John Hall -- (January/February 2000)
January
2003
Enterprise
Architecture: Looking Back and
Looking Ahead
By
John A. Zachman -- (July/August 1998)
December
2002
Why
I Like the Zachman Framework Architecture"
By
Ronald G. Ross -- (July/August 1991)
November
2002
The
Framework for Enterprise Architecture (The 'Zachman Framework') and the Search
for the Owner's View of Business Rules
By
John
A. Zachman -- (January/February 1998)
October
2002
Business
Process Re-Engineering
By
Ronald
G. Ross -- (March/April 1997)
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