I recently wrote some reflections on another book of the same vintage as Brooks’, DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: AN ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, by Keen and Scott Morton. You can find them on my blog at:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-Mff23hgidqmHGqbcv.lfskakEtS6qLVHUEMFUG4-?cq=1&p=228

DSS had its day on the Gartner hype curve even before the curve was codified, but the perspectives of this book on the need for client involvement in the development process are far more general than the case studies based on the quaint and antiquated solutions they discuss.

Of course these books have at least one thing in common: They are perceived by today’s community as ancient history. Today’s workplace continues to be haunted by the ghost of Henry History-is-Bunk Ford. Where Keen and Scott Morton really hit their stride is where they lay siege to an educational system that fails so badly at providing the talent necessary for the approach to development they advocate. That system still does not recognize the value of subject matter that is only valuable in a setting of REFLECTION (such as history). My own motto is: If you cannot reflect on what you have experienced, then you are never better than an IDIOT SAVANT, which means that, while you may have some powerful skills, at the end of the day, you are still an idiot!