I genuinely thought that I would be clicking through to an insightful post about how many crappy web-based "business productivity" apps that try and go the 37signals/Fogcreek route to success, and why the glut in this market helps no-one. Shame.
The problem with a lot of "business" apps, is that they're all really about workflow and control. The emphasis is on control. Productivity is actually a fairly low priority. If apps are really about productivity, then they tend to get out of the way of users. If you want to control what your shop floor is doing, then let them do what they want, but then keep an audit trail and write reporting software. Use the organizational structure to exercise control. Isn't that what it's for?
I agree. When I worked on Cisco's printing system, CEPS, we sometimes heard from users who wanted to lock down a particular printer so that "outsiders" couldn't use it.
We never implemented that feature. CEPS provided usage logs, and if a user felt that someone was hogging or abusing a printer, he could simply talk to the abuser.
That's much more likely to have a successful outcome for the company than putting up a technological barbed wire fence across someone's path.
This is essentially why I left my job at a Financial institution several years ago. I went to an online music startup, then became a consultant/contractor when that went belly-up. Right now, I'm contracting with the very same company that I left several years ago (albeit, I'm making twice as much).
