'If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said "a faster horse"' - Henry Ford.
This is easily the biggest problem I see with the way IT is managed within corporations and government. The decision makers are predominantly non-technical, and as a result insist upon directions which are wasteful, lack insight, and often fail to address the real issues. I assume that for the most part, these culprits are applying their understanding of other industries to IT, often with amusing (if I didn't laugh, I'd cry) results.
How are these people supposed to make appropriate decisions regarding IT when they fail to comprehend it? I see time and time again, countless man hours wasted in redundant meetings whilst a handful of technical resources spend time trying to translate the real concerns for the non technical. Ultimately, the requests come from a position of ignorance which is perfectly analogous to the frustration expressed by Henry Ford. As long as management keep requesting faster horses they will rarely be open to true innovation.
