For many in the Information Technology field, the challenge of learning a new technology, creating a new application or developing a slicker, more efficient solution is what draws us in. We want to be modern day Rembrandts or Picassos, creating grond-breaking works of art.
And yet, in the corporate world, it is important to remember that technology is not the end goal. The most elegant code is worthless if it does not solve a business problem. Developing the fastest web-site, the most sophisticated analytics, the most efficient database is meaningless if the solution does not have a significant and measurable impact on business performance.
Peter Drucker shares the parable of three stonecutters who have different perspectives on their jobs – the first “I am making a living”, the second “I am doing the best job of stonecutting in the entire country”, the third “I am building a cathedral”. As Drucker points out, it is the third stonecutter who truly captures the business mission, and the second who is most at risk of gong astray in the pursuit of non-value added perfection.
Within the IT world, we must constantly be asking ourselves what is our goal – what is the cathedral we are building or are we just focusing on the activity, not the objective.
And yet, in the corporate world, it is important to remember that technology is not the end goal. The most elegant code is worthless if it does not solve a business problem. Developing the fastest web-site, the most sophisticated analytics, the most efficient database is meaningless if the solution does not have a significant and measurable impact on business performance.
Peter Drucker shares the parable of three stonecutters who have different perspectives on their jobs – the first “I am making a living”, the second “I am doing the best job of stonecutting in the entire country”, the third “I am building a cathedral”. As Drucker points out, it is the third stonecutter who truly captures the business mission, and the second who is most at risk of gong astray in the pursuit of non-value added perfection.
Within the IT world, we must constantly be asking ourselves what is our goal – what is the cathedral we are building or are we just focusing on the activity, not the objective.
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