Are we rearranging the chairs on the Titanic?

15th April marks the anniversary of sinking of the Titanic. An iconic, unsinkable ship - that sank. The lessons from this tragedy survived to tell the tale, along with the handful of survivors in the lifeboats.

Why are the key lessons never learnt, I wonder? In the world of Digital Transformation, we see so many initiatives colliding with unseen icebergs and sinking without a trace.

For example, the steel of the Titanic was A-grade, but brittle in the freezing cold. They overlooked this critical risk. Similarly, so many projects are over-engineered on certain dimensions and vulnerable on the other flank!

The pressure to meet the launch date – an eternal truth! The production was fast-tracked and led to shortened sea trials and tests. Don’t we see similar situations? Half-baked solutions are launched, and the maiden voyage became the testing phase!

The captain and crew could do very little, after the impact. Do not expect the team to salvage the ship every time. They can run around trying to douse the flames. But initial planning and design are the key.

Titanic was luxurious. But did it matter in the end? Similarly, gold-plating and cool customer experience work only if the underlying product is robust and functional.

Those who overlook these basics are left ‘rearranging the deckchairs on their sinking Titanic’