An old objection to using standards is that standards supposedly slow development. People have to get their heads around the standards, choose how to use them, and manage their implementation. That sounds like delay. It's natural for people to want to see results – fast.
This fallacy has been around for all time. It's the origin of a load of boring proverbs like “look before you leap” and “a stitch in time saves nine”. You might have the best intentions when you rush into something, but you can still get bitten badly.
Using standards will add a certain amount of labor to the front end of a project. But it will save much, much more labor farther along the line. It's exactly the same principle as getting the right tools before you start a job. By improvising, you get started quicker. But you end up doing a worse job that takes longer, and you probably injure yourself or others along the way.
IT is a profession. Professionals use the right tools, methods, and processes for the job in hand. Professionals educate clients to appreciate why they do what they do. Professionals walk away from projects that don't recognize the professional viewpoint and the benefits it is designed to deliver. Every profession exists to protect its clients first, its members second. That's right – because without clients, there's no profession.
Business technology without standards is cowboy work. Clients must not tolerate systems that don't adhere to relevant standards. IT professionals must continue to educate their markets about the value of standards – the value to clients.
Comments