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.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.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.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.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.