Communication of intent
A variation on send three and fourpence ….
Seen pinned to many an office screen.
This copy lifted from David Stern’s Genesis project site
Quote
How Shit Happens…
In the Beginning was The Plan
And then came the Assumptions
And the Assumptions were without form
And the Plan was completely without substance
And the darkness was upon the face of the Workers
And the Workers spoke amongst themselves, saying
“It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh.”
And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and sayeth,
“It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof.”
And the Supervisors went unto their Managers and sayeth unto them,
“It is a container of excrement and it is very strong,
such that none may abide by it.”
And the Managers went unto their Directors and sayeth,
“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”
And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying one to another,
“It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.”
And the Directors went unto the Vice Presidents and sayeth unto them,
“It promotes growth and is very powerful.”
And the Vice Presidents went unto the President and sayeth unto him,
“This new Plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of this
Company, and in these Areas in particular.”
And the President looked upon The Plan,
And saw that it was good, and The Plan became Policy.
And this is How Shit Happens.
Unquote
Also, I have myself often quoted John Z DeLorean
from “On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors”
Quote
Committees of moral [competent] men [& women]
often make immoral [incompetent] decsions
Unquote
Group interpretation is quite different to individual intent.
Also incorporates aspects of conspiracy vs cock-up experience.
And another anecdotal subject.
The “No accident has a single cause” idea
Popular thinking (usually around “disasters”) is to find fault – something to fix (if not blame).
“Double-jeopardy” was often claimed against system failure possibilities, before more formal Hazard Analysis / Safety Case approaches became adopted (eg in the process industry).
In a “system” no effect has a single cause ? Check it out.