Agemain’s Laws of Prudent Thinking - (ALOPTs)

I read this list in response to a post that someone had submitted regarding the role of the "to be hired" Fed CTO. While I don't agree with everything on the list, I do believe that as a Technology Consumer, you should take into consideration what Agemain said; however, I feel that when this was written, the IT industry as we know it today was not around. The evolution that has taken place over the last 30 years, has dramatically changed the industry in a very positive way.

The idea that you can start a technology company in a garage and become an idustry leader is a relatively new phenomina (although I am sure Henry Ford would disagree). Startups are popping up everyday with a new piece of technology to add to the mix. If you close your eyes for a minute you will miss the addition of thousands of new products. The evolution has also taught us that the components have got to work together.

Back when this was written, vendors provided solutions that had closed architechture. If you were going to make something that would enhance the production of an existing system, you had better have a relationship with the system vendor.

So while I do agree with much of what was written, I must say that the point that strikes home the most is #7. I think this is the most important point on the whole list, and one that IT consumers should heed. A good vendor is one that puts your goals an objectives first. Your success is a direct reflection of their success. A good vendor knows that if you are successful with your project they will be successful in their job.

Read and enjoy, I am sure you will have a comment!!

Agemain’s Laws of Prudent Thinking (ALOPTs) *1
1) The surest way to make the new system cost more than the old is to pioneer the wrong thing.
2) The surest way to blow a computer budget or lose in poker is to throw good money after bad.
3) He who leans too far into the future will fall flat on his face.
4) It is not against the law for a peddler to puff his product. Beware of salesmen giving technical advice.
5) Beware of consultants trained in only one brand name. They will recommend the product that they know how to install and support. When a person only knows how to use a hammer, their solution to any problem looks like a nail.
6) A big advertising budget has no bearing on product quality. It just makes it more expensive. An advertisement does not have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Reference law 4 above.
7) A Corporation has no soul. It depends upon the common ethical values its employees bring with them to the workplace. Choose vendors you can trust and stay with them. Judge vendors by their deeds, not their words. Treat ethical vendors as an asset and they will serve you well. Exploit them and they will go away. Unethical vendors will exploit you and betray your trust when it suits their best interests.
8) When faced with major technological change, speak softly and carry a big staff.
9) A successful project requires three things: A vision, a sponsor, and a champion. The vision gives us a target. Once we know where we want to be, we can plan how to get there and know when we have arrived. The sponsor pays the bills. The champion cheers us on, keeps us on course, and advocates our cause. If you think that technical competence and money are all that is required, see rule number 1.
10) What is worth doing well is usually worth doing poorly at first. A 90 percent solution that we can manage now is better than a 100 percent solution that never gets started.
11) Pace yourself. Do not try to do everything at once. He who tries to swallow an elephant will choke on its tail.
12) Do not use more people on a single task than necessary and do not mandate impossible deadlines. Putting ten technicians in a phone booth does not fix a telephone in one-tenth the time it takes one technician to do the job.

1 Agemain was the keynote speaker of the third annual automation conference of the American Bankers Association. This was the time when the banking industry was making serious investments in mainframe computer technology for back office automation, especially check processing. At that time, Agemain was the CEO of the Chase Manhattan Bank. I was covering the show for 3M Company. His remarks are at least 40 years old. Although technology changes like a whirlwind, people don’t change much. His advice is as applicable today as it was back then.