In the movie Field of Dreams , the field whispers to Kevin Costner, "If you build it, they will come." On that intuition alone, he plows under his corn field to build a baseball diamond, then waits for the players to arrive. The practice works out well in the movie, but is this a good way to run IT projects?
Sadly, many IT projects are run just this way: IT builds it and hopes business will use it. Why is this? Because a business' IT department generally understands technology better than it understands its own business or the needs of its stakeholders (employees, customers, partners, etc.). It's easier to learn J2EE and BPEL than it is to find people in one's own company that can and will explain in a rational fashion how the business works and how IT can be used as an enabler that allows the business to work better.
This disposition leads to projects that are based on technological capabilities, not business requirements. The IT department builds applications based on the technology they have and hope it's something the business needs. The business is stuck with using what IT builds or nothing, and so often strains to make the best use of whatever IT gives them.
IT Field of Dreams is an antipattern. It's a practice that seems like a good idea, but has poor consequences. It's a path of least resistance for many IT departments, one they're more comfortable with, but which leads to a lot of cost and effort for little business benefit.
A better approach is to understand not only the technology, but also the business and the requirements of the stakeholders as well, and then figure out how to use the technology to help meet the needs of the business. The technology should conform to the stakeholders, not the other way around. | 
Should your business trust this guy to do their IT? |
