His name was E. Sophagus Marianas. He worked for an unnamed legislator,and was rumored as the only person on the planet who had read both H.R. 3590 and 3962. The meeting that changed C2’s life began, ironically, in an emergency room. Marianas was there to be treated for thousands of paper cuts, while C2 had some aftershave lotion replaced with a tube of super powerful adhesive by E, so his hands were stuck in his pants.
As Marianas sat at the edge of his seat, lifeblood leaking slowly on the floor, and C2 sat carefully on his left cheek, trying not to break his right wrist, they talked. Marianas explained the theory of triple constraints, a long established reality of engineering, construction, and systems in the real world.
“Look C2, it’s very simple. In any system you can control the price or the exact features or how long to get something done. It’s like a triangular teeter-totter, only two of the corners can touch the ground at a time. Make sense?”
C2 nodded. “I can control price and what service I receive, but not when” He held up one finger. “Or I can control price and when I get help but not what I get.” He held up a third finger, momentarily glad he didn’t need to use the hand glued to his backside, “Or I can control what I get and when, but not how much it costs?”
“Right.”
C2 thought for a moment. “So how is that different from today?” (continue reading…)
Recent Comments