Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
IT Project Lessons from Titanic (Part 20)
In reviewing Titanic's case study, by the project-construction stage decisions were made in the architecture and design that compromised and negated principal safety features, like the height of the bulkheads and the number of lifeboats. The logical explanation is that assumptions were made by the White Star architects, principally that the aggregated effect of the combined safety features and advanced technology incorporated would protect Titanic.
The arrogant view evolved that Titanic was a huge lifeboat. Titanic's designers made the mistake of believing the initial design assumptions, not testing these far enough and not evolving expectations. Such was the confidence in the safety of the ship that by the end of the project, disaster recovery and business continuity plans were considered superfluous.
In the early stages of your IT project's lifecycle (the architecture and design), hundreds of granular decisions are made by your team. Some of these decisions might seem innocuous or insignificant. As the project takes shape, assumptions are formed. It is very easy to stray off the path in one stage and make dubious decisions, but still meet the goal of that stage. For example, underestimating the costs of non-functional requirements is a common problem that must be factored into the business case (discussed in Part 2). The impact of a poor decision might not be brought to …
Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.
ADVERTISEMENTS
|
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." - Mel Brooks |