Tag: systems integration
The Project That Connected the World: How ARPANET Became the Blueprint for Integration Management
1. The 1960s: A World of Silos Waiting to Connect In the late 1960s, “data” lived in isolation.Each research lab had one massive computer, costing millions, and each spoke a language of its own. Collaboration meant mailing magnetic tapes or flying across states. Then came ARPA — a visionary branch of the U.S. Department of…
The Frankenstein Project: Why Perfect Plans Create Imperfect Results
“Dr. Frankenstein was a brilliant scientist and a terrible integrator.” My mentor’s comparison stung because it was accurate. I had spent three months creating what I thought was the perfect project plan for a $5M enterprise system integration. Every workstream had detailed requirements, clear owners, and precise timelines. The Gantt chart was a work of…
