Automating Existing Process Versus Improving It

From FundamentalFlawsInProceduralDesigns:

This may be veering into a discussion of design philosophy, but taking the objections in reverse order, but, one, I have usually found that when the software developers attempt to "improve" the manual process it is usually to the detriment of those who actually are doing the process. Second, computers are tools used by people; they are of no interest except to people. No job today was created because of computers, in the best case computers merely reduce the time, tedium, and cost of providing some result for human beings.

Many jobs were created because of computers, including mine. Our experience differs. I've seen software that floundered because it adhered too closely to processes optimized for humans. I've personally improved on many manual processes. Computers can do things humans can't, and vice versa. One should design software with that in mind.

A simple example of this that I like to use is card catalogs in book libraries. Computer text indexing and multiple "keys" allows one to search multiple orthogonal categories in multiple ways. If we simply modeled the existing hierarchy-based Dewey Decimal system, then the result would perhaps be a simpler implementation, but less powerful.

The card catalogs that I am familiar with, however, do cross-reference books based on multiple possibilities such as title, author, or general category. The Dewey Decimal system is a means of identifying the physical placement of individual books within the library. Once one has identified a book via the card catalog, one uses the Dewey Decimal number to identify the floor, aisle, shelf, and finally position for the actual book. Note that the book may not be there; it may be checked out. One does not need to keep searching for a book after finding the preceding and following numbers.

Most libraries I am familiar with only had cards indexed on title. Maybe your town has better tax revenues or something. If one wanted to search by topic or anything else, they had only the Dewey proximity system to use. By the way, I hear the Dewey owner wants to start charging royalties, prompting some libraries to switch to the Lib. of Congress numbering system.

Every library I've ever visited had at least 3 different card catalogs: Title, Subject and Author. Books could have multiple cards in each catalog.

This is reminiscent of the BusinessProcessReengineering movement, which has a slogan "Don't automate, obliterate!"

See AutomateProcesses