Blinded by a Tree

Developing large systems is a lot like trying to get an appreciation of the Amazon when you’re standing beneath a single tree in the middle of it.  Sure, there’s a lot that you can find out about that single tree. You can look at its trunk, its leaves, and its branches.  You could take soil measurements around the tree to determine if it is getting the proper nutrients.

But, the health of that single tree is often determined by what’s going on around it.  If your perspective is limited to just that tree, then you’re going to miss the jungle.  You won’t see how the various streams feed into the rivers, how one part of the ecosystem feeds another part which feeds another part.  Simply put, if that single tree is in distress, how can you fix it without looking at what’s going on around it?

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