Using Software Packages Wrong is a Bad Idea
People seem to think that because a system is in place it
should be used for something, anything.
Think before implementing. It could be a BAD IDEA.
Use a software package for what it is intended for,
not just because it is there.
To illustrate:
A large privately held grain company had an HP Openmail
system networked across six continents. This was a bear
to administer already, but then some dingbat came up with
the idea that they should use the email database to track
software licenses across the entire company.
By the time I got involved 40% of the email entries were
software license related, not email related. The system replicated
entries across most servers and the mail data model entities
and attributes had been overloaded with so many meanings
that it was a major project to clean data, update
the software to a new version or just administer an email
address. A 12 hour process to track the software licenses
was kicked off once a week, hitting the main mail host with
a major resource hog. About a hundred people administered the
system and administered it badly.
I thought it was a BAD IDEA. But it was too late to have
any influence, it was like telling an emperor about his zipper
selection. Too many managers and toadying contractors had careers
invested in the huge empire surrounding the badly working system.
There is even a Dilbert cartoon about the pointy hair boss
suggesting an accounting system over the email database.
HEH. Rather than ruin my reputation in a hopeless mess I left
for a better situation, sometimes cutting and running is the best
policy.
So the next time someone says, "Let's use the timecard system
to track the movement of security people even though they
are not paid using that system.", speak up right away. Say it is
a BAD IDEA to fill hourly cost data with unrelated information
about contract security guard donut breaks. You may
just keep your own check coming on time in the mail.
But remember, there are innovative and new uses for software that
are a success, just think through the consequences.