How Scient Destroyed Verde.com

from the inside-a-failure dept

Okay, this one was apparently published a few weeks back, but I still think it's worth posting here. There are plenty of "failure" stories out there these days, but this one explains how Scient basically destroyed Verde.com with their "process". With all the reliance on consulting firms these days, this is one of the first articles I've seen that points out some of the downsides of working with "new economy" consultants.
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  • identicon
    Ed, 20 Oct 2000 @ 6:47pm

    Basis for The Process?

    I do have to wonder how any company can claim to have all the answers in such a new and unproven field as e-commerce. If we were building bridges instead of web sites, we'd probably be at about the stage of the Romans and their stone arches, which were (and still are) quite nice, but if progress had stopped there, we'd never have the Golden Gate.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 20 Oct 2000 @ 6:55pm

      Re: Basis for The Process?

      I do think a process can be helpful. If you can put together a large set of experiences and knowledge to help create a set of "best practices", a process can be very useful.

      I also think that in many situations a process is almost necessary in order to allow a large group of people to work efficiently together. There are plenty of examples of companies that have been brought down for having no processes in place... I was just having this discussion the other night. In many small companies processes are unnecessary, and in fact can do more harm than good. But, as a company grows, a process is often what holds the company together and helps them perform.

      However, where the problems come in is when people rely on the process over anything else (such as common sense). A process needs to be flexible enough that it's more of a guidebook rather than hard rules that must be followed. In other words, as things happen it is useful to check and see if it fits with the process. However, if something doesn't fit with the process the answer shouldn't automatically be "this is wrong" but rather "why doesn't this fit with the process?"

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Ed, 20 Oct 2000 @ 7:15pm

        Re: Basis for The Process?

        There's nothing wrong with a process, except when it becomes The Process. A process is supposed to be a means to an end, not the end in itself, but it's very easy to lose sight of that.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Mike (profile), 20 Oct 2000 @ 7:48pm

          Re: Basis for The Process?

          Uh. Right. You just took my few paragraphs of babbling and summarized it in two perfect sentences. Damn you concise people.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    michael, 21 Oct 2000 @ 5:20pm

    Scient

    Good find. Sure there are plenty more out there. Good startups don't worry about process, they do. And fast. And they don't waste money on a BS company such as Scient, whose core competency is selling.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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