Applying Systems Thinking and
Common Archetypes to Organizational Issues
Module 6: Systems Archetypes
Example: "If You Want it Bad, You'll Get it Bad"
"Fixes That Backfire"
For military conflicts such as Vietnam or Desert Storm, the military services want to deploy new systems that are still in development. To respond to the pressure to meet these immediate requirements, scheduled delivery dates are moved forward aggressively, and the usual acquisition cycle time is drastically shortened. Program managers put their heads down, rally their teams, put the heat on the vendors, solve these unexpected problems heroically, and the systems are delivered.
On the development and deployment support side, it turns out that neither system operators nor organizational maintenance people are fully trained, much less even minimally experienced with the systems. Spare parts are not available in the supply system. Basic support documentation such as maintenance and operating manuals do not exist. To make the new system work, spare parts are diverted from the production line, interim versions of documentation are copied and distributed, and expensive contractor technical support personnel accompany the operating units into the field.
The cost and the distraction of responding to immediate needs reduce commitment, readiness, and budget for the ongoing project. Projects drag on because the emergency effort disrupts the work to develop, prototype, produce, and test the systems according to the original plans. As a result, some systems are still not ready when the next field deployment crisis comes around.
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