OK, it's not often I look at people and wonder what they have been drinking, but I just had a talk with someone I looked upon as having both feet on the ground, and I realized that the combination of denial, rationalization, and schedules are a deadly combination and my company is standing to loose a boatload of dough because of it.
If a system technically works, but takes every person on staff to support it - is it really working? Some would say "Certainly." - after all, it is working. But if there are other things to do and the staff can't get to them because of the constant attention required to keep even the simplest of things running, then you've got something running, but it's the only thing that is. Maybe that's a 'success' in someone's book, but in mine it's a disaster.
But I've come to realize that the people here looking at the schedules aren't really looking at the cost. They're only looking to cover their behinds and make sure that "their part" is done on-time - regardless of the cost. I guess if that's what you've got to do, then do it. But it seems like more than a little bit of a waste to do that. How are you going to look at yourself in the mirror when someone eventually asks (and they always eventually ask) So could no one see that this was headed towards an untenable position?
"Um..." is a bad answer to that question. If you could have seen, you should have seen. And said something. But that's not how things are working in my company now. Those who have tried to say something are given the lines "Hey, we all had a chance to say something, but that time has passed, and now we're stuck with it." Horse Poo! I wasn't given a chance to say anything, for if I had, I'd have said something.
No... it's "I had the chance to say something, and now we're stuck with it." That's a lot closer to the truth. But even that's not right on the money. This is a colossal waste of time and people and while it may "work", it'll never "work well enough" to justify the cost in dollars and time.
You've just got to wonder why on earth they are continuing to forge ahead and waste even more time and money. I guess they are still in the Emperor's New Clothes bit... they think we just don't see the fancy new threads, and it'll look great when we get this last little bit in place. Yup... a dangerous trifecta.