In technology we are asked to do more with less. To automate and make things easier for everyone. Often this is touted to lower costs and create efficiency, but the truth is that most people are lazy.
I am not saying that laziness is bad. Lazy people find better ways to work. I am saying that often what seems more efficient, is just laziness and actually is less efficient and requires more work.
Lets get to an example. I watched a YouTube video about all in one washing/drying machines. These are new models that you don’t have to move the laundry between machines and it does it all in one.
Now on the first glance this seems like a dream. Less to do right? Here is the truth that I learned from watching professional laundry people using these. The labor to maintain them is more than that the labor saved.
They need to be maintained by having the lint filters cleaned after every use. With my current washer/drier I clean the lint before each load for the drier, but I don’t have to clean lint for the washer after every load. I only did that once after 3 months and I talked about it here. This means that those combo units promise less labor but create more labor.
To move the laundry from the washer to the drier for me takes about 30 seconds. I grab it in a big armful and put it in the drier. To clean those filters I watched and they needed to use a brush and wash it and then they had to clean in another place. There was more places to maintain with the combo units.
Now why am I sharing this? Getting back to IT we create processes that can make things easier, but it also means that when the underlying technology changes those processes need to be updated. Often the people who created the process are not the ones working on it anymore. I have seen this when I have worked with companies. The person who understood it isn’t around, and it has to be redone. This is especially common with Microsoft Graph solutions that get depreciated after 2 years and require more advanced knowledge.
The line between efficiency and laziness is often a thin one and changes as technology continues to change.