Just because you can do something, should you?

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Today I'd like to ask the question "just because you can do something, should you"?  Just because you CAN ride a unicycle across a tightrope
that connects two skyscrapers do you really need to?  I mean like why jump out of a perfectly good airplane just because we have parachutes?  I mean sure they both sound like great ideas but then again maybe not.  I guess it's just me but just because you CAN do something it doesn't mean you always should.


Earlier in the week I was talking with one of the members of my team about that very question when it comes to software and Maximo specifically.  We talked about how customizable Maximo is, how much freedom it provides users to tailor it to their business needs, how you can change the look / feel to make it no longer resemble the out
of the box product and how if you use it the right way it can be a very powerful tool.  Those are all great things but with great freedom comes great responsibility as they say.  In our discussion we talked about a client who hired a consulting team to "create" a solution that consisted of creating all sorts of changes to the screen / XML that
were done through the Application Designer, crossovers / new tables / attributes created in the Database Configuration and an elaborate system of escalations / workflows.....which amounted to weeks if not months of work only to find out that the solution that was required was already built into the core product.  However, the consultant was unaware of that functionality.  He thought that because Maximo provides all the tools to do something like this, he should "create" the solution.  All of this culminated in the consultant screaming a number of unmentionable terms at my colleague when he revealed "Oh yeah Maximo can already do that".  Poor guy.  
 

For Maximo users the question of whether or not you should do something should always start with some analysis of what you're trying do, what Maximo (or any other software for that matter) is capable of and can the software already do what you need it to do.  I've seen so many times when clients try to "outsmart" the product by building all this unnecessary stuff rather than taking the time to learn about the capabilities that are already in there.


Anyhow, the point here is that yes of course there will be times when you do need to do something because you can and because it makes Maximo do what you need it to, to maintain your operation or to keep your business goals in sight....but there will be other times that it probably would make more sense to ask someone if the functionality
you're looking for already exists.....just so that you don't go down the same road as our poor consultant friend.

Let me know what you think....

Until next time, take it easy and stay safe out there!