Today's new business phrase: "Imprisoned in the Elevator"

I recently dealt with a software supplier - PCLaw - whose online support is fantastic but whose Ontario training sessions are currently restricted to Toronto and Ottawa. In an exchange of emails with one of their product managers, PC Law's plans for training online and in other centres was detailed for me. I appreciated the rapid and courteous reply.

The exchange did get me pondering about the lead time between the conception of a project/product/service and getting it to market. Many promising ideas either die in the corporate womb or gestate far too long, emerging too late and missing their moment. The film industry's term for this is "development hell", and the software industry's term is "vapourware". Any large organization is at risk for having its projects suffer this fate.

Having dealt at length with both private sector and public sector approval processes, it occurred to me that one specific component of the development process produces a disproportionate share of such delays: approvals and amendments up and down the food chain. As a result, a great idea doesn't make it out the door on time or at all because of this lengthy-to-unending process as each make-it-perfect request has to be reviewed, re-reviewed, approved and re-approved.

The project is imprisoned in the elevator.

It just goes up and down; it never goes out.