Why Systems Fail
Posted: March 20th, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: disasters, life | Tags: books, crisis, fail | No Comments »Why Systems Fail: A Book Review
As anyone who has ever worked in an office can tell you, no shit. But it’s still fascinating to see it all laid out. Prepare to nod in agreement a lot.
Some highlights:
2. New systems generate new problems
7. People in systems do not do what the system says they are doing
10. Systems attract systems people
14. If a system is working, leave it alone
22. Complex systems usually operate in failure mode
32. Loose systems last longer and work better
So there are, as you can see, a lot of reasons why systems are almost always destined to fail. It’s interesting enough to make me want to read the book but these little aphorisms are pretty densely packed with wisdom IMO. If I ever start up a business I’ll try to recognize some of these principles when setting things up. Yet even still, you’re reading this, on the internet – think about all the ways this process could go wrong, and yet it’s still working. WordPress, DNS, your browser, your computer, whatever system of income allows you to be wasting time right now on my site – clearly these systems, while imperfect, still function well enough most of the time for everything to be working.
But now I’m considering the weight of all systems in the country and indeed the world, and it’s scaring the shit out of me. The small fanatic part of me that just wants collapse is feeling very upbraided right now.
