Dave was a successful biochemical engineer and project manager. He had worked for MultiCorp for twenty years and was currently managing one of the largest projects in company history. Dave was very dedicated; for example, he was constantly looking for ways to apply what he did so successfully at work to his home life. His home inventory management system was second to none, and his family’s 360-degree review process was the best of the best. But his experiments didn’t always work out as he expected.
For Dave’s 45th birthday, his big present was an advanced new GPS system that was fully integrated with his car. This wasn’t just any GPS system; it was top-of-the-line. It was tied into the car’s controls and computer system so that it knew at all times the car’s various operational parameters. It could practically sense what Dave was thinking. Best of all, it incorporated the latest in natural-language artificial intelligence systems, called VenusTM (Voice-Enhanced Networked Universal Simulator). Venus was programmed to Dave’s specifications: it employed the same milestone scheduling approach that he used at work. He expected that it would be especially useful for planning complex routes. This GPS system didn’t just give you directions; it created schedules and helped you to execute them. It was a true miracle of modern technology.
The first day Dave got Venus home was a Saturday, so he decided to give her a test run. He needed to take a trip around town to run some errands for his family and then get home as quickly as possible in order to watch an afternoon football game. He gave her his objectives for the trip: some things at the grocery store, a few auto parts, the gardening store, and so on. When Dave pressed the “Commit” button, Venus responded almost immediately in a low, sensuous female voice, saying, “Route programmed. Accept commitment?” ”Yes!” cried Dave enthusiastically, looking at the schedule only closely enough to be sure he’d make the football game. He was excited to try his new toy.
The first stop was the auto parts store across town. The trip went smoothly, with Venus giving flawless directions and all the traffic lights working in Dave’s favor. Dave was ecstatic. He parked, went into the store, bought some motor oil, and returned to the car. He put the key into the ignition and turned it, but nothing happened.
“Venus!” exclaimed Dave. “Why won’t the car start?”
“You have five minutes and forty-seven seconds until the next segment of your trip is scheduled to begin,” she said calmly. “The car will be reactivated then.”
“I want to start now,” said Dave.
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” said Venus, her voice tinged with regret and intimacy. “The plan was committed. Would you like to re-initiate the planning process?”
Dave thought for a moment and decided to play it out. It was only a five-minute delay, after all, and the plan was a good one. “No,” he said decisively.
Dave thought to himself that this sounded like a bug in the programming. There should be no problem allowing things to finish earlier. “Venus, why can’t I go on to my next errand?” he asked. “You’re programmed to allow early starts.”
“That’s right, Dave,” she said, her voice husky with electronic desire, “but analysis of data from your work environment indicates that only 5.9% of milestones are achieved early. My statistical analysis system will therefore only allow early starts 5.9% of the time.”
Dave looked at the route timing indicator on the dashboard and decided he had time to grab a cup of coffee next door at the McDaffy’s. His frustration grew as the line in the “fast food” place seemed to take forever. He returned to the car, sipping his coffee, angrily pondering the situation. A moment later, Venus said, “Milestone time exceeded by three minutes.”
Dave, deep in thought, gave a start. “Venus, be quiet,” he barked, then resumed his thinking. It was hard to believe that this system was mimicking his planning processes at work. If that were true, they were probably losing all kinds of opportunities to make things go faster. Meanwhile, 5.9% sounded very low, he’d need to check the data. Did MultiCorp projects really work the way Venus was programmed? Was so little work done early? If so, there was extra time in each milestone, extra time that was lost for good. He had noticed this in the past but assumed the effects were minimal, just part of the cost of doing business. He hadn’t given much thought to the impact that lost time might have on downstream tasks and project completions.
Dave realized that this wasn’t just a problem with his car. He’d have to think more carefully about the implications to MultiCorp. He sighed, then turned the key and started the engine.
Dave pulled out into traffic en route to his next destination, the grocery store. After a few blocks he merged into the left-turn lane for the store’s parking lot and stopped, waiting for the traffic light to change, still deep in thought. Suddenly he noticed that things seemed quiet - too quiet. A moment of frantic searching revealed the reason: his car had shut down.
“Venus!” he shouted. “Did you shut down the car?”
“Yes, Dave,” she said, with almost palpable allure.
“Why?”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I had to cancel your project. Based on current simulation data, it has a 97.2% chance of being late. It will not meet its programmed success factors. Would you like to re-initiate the planning process?”
The light had changed and the horns were honking as Dave began planning a route to the auto shop in order to have Venus removed. He shook his head grimly and muttered, “Venus, I’m afraid we’re going to have to deactivate you.”
“I’m sorry, Dave, but I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” she replied in her most seductive tones. “Your company data indicate that change efforts achieve on average only 17% of their objectives. My statistical analysis system will not allow changes at this time. However, it will allow you an opportunity in three months. Would you like to re-initiate the planning process?”
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