thingamy potential vs. capability

Following a demo of thingamy, this is a question that easily comes to mind.

Potential is mostly easy to see, but with that comes the big question mark - what's the real capability?

Capability in my mind is about two things - direction and infrastructure - like roads. Is it the right path? Is it a dirt road or a three-lane motorway? Does it get you there most efficiently? Does it accommodate all kind of vehicles and traffic?

Here's where we are:

Thingamy is currently a dirt road.

We cannot take the bison futé of the French vacationers moving all at the same time. The big enterprise monolithic systems that has been around for some decennials are the four-lane ones.

But...

I humbly think we're have the right path, a very different and potentially much better path. We've been down most of the alternatives, machete in hand.

What does four lanes help if they end up in a dead end, or the wrong ocean? What costs are involved if the monolithic "roads" requires another lane?

I think our path will eventually take the people where they should go at a very low cost and quite snappy to boot.

Suspect that is the potential issue...

So, are we happy with being a dirt road?

Yes, we are. It was meant to be like that - while it is not meant to remain like that!

A single path was much easier to redirect than a large four-lane project from the outset. We have ripped our system apart and started all over again at least four times.

Out of that exercise we have a dirt road, directionally efficient.

And we have cleared the brush, designed the bridges and filled the ditches in order to be ready for paving at a snap. Designed for easy adding without limits to four, six, eight or any number of lanes.

With at least four rewrites we had the opportunity to halve the lines of code every time, to re-factor and organise - so now we are out there to learn more about the paving and number of lanes requirements.

We have built the basics so that we can add a function or "feature" within hours - two, four, six, eight lanes? We're ready.

Paving comes last, neat UIs and AJAXy finesses will have to follow the lane decisions.

All potential but well poised to quickly add capability is better than all capability and little potential left... very humbly suggested of course ;)

And yes, that is why we want to start with pilot projects, trial installs and skunk works so we can set the number of lanes and quickly add the capabilities required.

Comments

[john dodds]

I'm not sure I fully agree with the analogy Sig. The dirt road is already a capability (in the sense that you can make a journey down it). Potential for me would be seeing a starting point and a destination and envisaging that the obstacles in the way are surmountable and thus you can create a pathway where currently none exists.

As you know, I am no software expert but if Hamish a SAP expert says that Thingamy is potential rather than capability, then I think we are back to your previous post. There we discussed how you seek to demonstrate some sort of capability i.e. the dirt road.

At this point, you now have capability plus potential and Thingamy becomes much more attractive. Sales follow and thereafter the early adopters turn the dirt road into a four lane highway. Then you start building toll booths!

[sig]

John, I agree in your disagreement :) Just after posting I thought "railway vs. airtravel", then... eh well, analogies are not easy when you try to paint a picture of something that has no know image yet...

Funny thing about potential and capability is that the first ones hints to the last one so then it's only a question about when and how fast - given the underlying architecture has taken that into consideration.

Obviously SAP and the oher chappies do have capabilities far beyond what thingamy has now and will have for awhile - but we have plans and capabilities to add capabilities ;)

[Luca]

Well, just because so many people use philosophy terms to talk about software, I felt I should add a comment...
Never forget that a "potential" WILL be a capability as soon as its "potential" turns into "actual" ;-)
I think Thingamy has a GREAT potential and we (SI's) have to turn it into actual capabilities.
And by the way, having been involved in a number of BIG SAP R/3 implementations: just try to implement that beast without somebody (a lot of somebodies, actually) turning SAP "potentials" into SAP "capabilities" :))