Why are large companies so difficult to rescue (regarding internal technology)
Ah, my sister endured all this sort of thing during 20 years as a VP in corporate America. She successfully deployed new data systems to 120 plants in 50 regions in one year. Didn't cost $25M.<p>Her method? Ruthlessly purge the region of the old data system and install the new (web-based API to a central, new data system). Investigate every regional difference and consolidate into one model.<p>Before deployment day, get all the regional Directors in one room and tell them it was going to happen. Tell them there was no going back, no push-back would be permitted, and have the CEO in the room to confirm this.<p>It all went well, with her team of a dozen professionals that did a surgical strike to each region. IT equipment installers, trainers. Even one lady who's job was to ferret out the hidden PC somebody was squirrelling away in a closet (there was always that person) and rip it out, take it to her car and lock it in the trunk.<p>All went well, except for one region. That regional Director had missed the big day, and tried (vainly) to push-back for all the familiar reasons: special circumstance, retraining was going to keep them down for too long, and on and on.
100 years of data systems gone in a year (including paper systems) and replaced with a web API.