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Technology Project Planning: Too Much of a Good Thing?
The law of diminishing marginal returns
I recently had a bit of a debate with a technology consultant friend who knows I am big on content and detail within project planning and the contracts that support a technology deal. We found ourselves talking about that principle of economics called the law of diminishing marginal returns. His point was that for project owners who are in the midst of planning a new project—gathering requirements, fleshing out specifications, polling user preferences, etc.—the law of diminishing marginal returns sets in much earlier than they realize. The resources spent during the initial planning stages produce some hefty returns. But soon after, spending the same amount of resources again, and the next time after that, will produce smaller and smaller chunks of benefit. When you are caught up in a planning process, it is often difficult to identify the point at which your cost-benefit curve has begun to flatten.
What my friend was saying seemed plausible, and because I did not have any evidence to the contrary, I just accepted his theory. Then I thought of a possible consequence of his theory, and I said, “You’re not going to go out and start spreading this thought around the technology community, are you?”
Threatened evangelist
Traveling by GPS is Much Fun
The crying needs for successful and enjoyable holiday travel – getting to the destination, and providing some entertaining distraction along the way – are now answered with the help of heaven-sent, handy GPS-based navigation systems. Whether you are traveling cross-country or taking a quick weekend trip, having a GPS device will make your journey easier, faster and much more fun.
In recent years, GPS devices have begun to mature from barebones units to more feature-packed devices that also let you play music and even make calls from your car. Both GPS- systems and satellite radios are becoming hot add-ons for new cars and rentals, and there are a variety of interesting and ever more affordable options to upgrade your existing vehicle. Today’s systems work well with small and built-in GPS antennas providing visual and voice prompts for upcoming turns, and dynamically adjusting when you take a detour. These systems can normally store at least major highway maps for the entire regions plus detailed maps for a specific region, as well as associated points of interest, addresses and even phone numbers for businesses, gas stations, ATMs, hotels, restaurants, and attractions.