Workable systems in IT and car

Designers always believe that in any system design is more important, since it is he who interacts with the user, and everything else is secondary. Technologists believe that the technical side is more important, since if it fails, no design will help, and the system will not survive for long without code support.

But, in fact, any system will be just as effective as its weakest link. Therefore, it is important to design not the design, server and client parts, but a workable system as a whole.

A workable system is such a system that performs its task well, and is not a beautiful, dusty museum piece at the exhibition “not understood wonderful solutions that are ahead of their time.” In order for the system to be operational, each part of it must be operational. The absence of at least one part in the chain negates the merits of all other parts.
')

The task of the car to move in space. Currently, for this he needs fuel, engine, transmission, running gear (suspension + wheels), road. Without any of the listed parts he will not be able to drive.

Suppose a car has an ideal engine, an ultra-efficient transmission, an amazing chassis, the road is just the ultimate dream, but there is no fuel. This car will stand on the spot and will not go anywhere. Well, or there is fuel, but there are no wheels. Nothing happens either. Well, and so on. In this case, even the most deadly bucket of nuts will be the best car if it has a complete set of all the necessary parts of the system.

Between the car and the information project can be quite clear analogy. Take, for example, an online store.

The fuel in this case will be the need of buyers for something. If there is no need, then nothing will be bought, no matter how wonderful the store is.

The engine is marketing (advertising, promotion, etc.), which runs on fuel. If people do not know that their need can be met in this store, then no one will buy anything there.

Transmission is the design and technical implementation of the project. On this unit, some kind of efficiency is constantly lost. Often, these losses are very substantial. Moreover, design and technical implementation are so tightly connected that they cannot even be separated.

Chassis - this is what allows the machine to interact with the outside world. That is, it is logistics in all its manifestations. If I bought the product on an ideal site, but I was not delivered to it, there is no use in such a machine.

Dear buyers are. As if there is a need, but only for two people, then there is no point in particularly starting the engine.

If during the development of an online store to pay a lot of attention to one part, but to score at least one of the others - such a car will not go anywhere. Therefore, it makes no sense, for example, to hire a cool designer and score on the technical part or logistics.

A similar analogy can be built for any other commercial information project.