IT seems to have some kind of obsession with complexity. The more complex the scenario, the more they enjoy it. If it’s simple, it must be bad. But add a few more steps to the same process and it suddenly becomes the hot product that everyone wants to use. When it comes time to troubleshoot things, though, that’s when people start regretting the extra effort they put into making things more difficult than they needed to be.
Ethan Banks is no stranger to the extra complexity that IT wants to introduce to solutions. Being the storyteller that he is, Ethan has laid out a great journey that illustrates how overly complex scenarios are detrimental in the long term for a variety of reasons. I even loved the part where he brought in the bane of overly complicated solutions – the executive home network. Here’s an excerpt from his post that illustrates just how difficult these problems are to deal with:
I’m not trying to answer all of the questions in this hypothetical scenario. Rather, I’m pointing out something that I hope is plain. This internet edge design is complex. Is it overly complex? For purposes of this discussion, let’s say it isn’t. Let’s say the implied level of engineering I worked through is warranted. You install it all. You test a bunch of failure scenarios. You’re satisfied that the system, complex though it is, is working as designed. Your factory customer is happy. All is well.
Make sure you check out the rest of his post here: Don’t Be Complex When Simple Will Do
