Mark Toomey's Newsletter this month has an interesting analysis of the Myer fail.
> >Test or Fail - A Lesson from Myer > > > >David Rice wrote in Geekonomics (published by Addison Wesley in >2008) about the contemporary IT industry's habit of releasing to >market software that has not been adequately tested. Chapter 2 is >titled "Six Billion Crash Test Dummies: Irrational Innovation and >Perverse Incentives". In a nutshell, he argues that competitive >pressure combined with market demand for the newest, greatest >technology forces technology developers to release to market >products that in some cases are not even complete, let alone >robustly tested. We see the consequences in myriad technology >failures, many with high visibility and potentially serious >consequences, such as those involving exposure of sensitive personal >information. > > > >But nowadays we are seeing new pressure to reinforce the importance >of proper testing. Empowered consumers vent their frustration with >poor performance and the press gives substantial attention to major >failures. Organisations which deliver substandard systems suffer >reputation damage and are increasingly at risk of losing customers. > > > >In the week following Christmas 2013, one major Australian retailer, >Myer Holdings Ltd, provided an interesting illustration of what >happens to organisations that, however unwittingly, use the crash >test dummy technique when engaging with their online customers. In >parallel with extensive discussion of the problem in all of general, >business and IT specialist press, members of the Australian >Institute of Company Directors LinkedIn community began a discussion >on "Myer Boxing Day website crash... what does it say about IT >Governance maturity in Australia?". > > > >There are many dimensions to the question and many layers to the >problem that Myer experienced. It's worth exploring. > > > >Like many Australian retailers, Myer has been a late arrival at the >online retail sales party. CEO Bernie Brooks, who began his tenure >in 2006, is reported in the Australian Financial Review (Myer's >Brookes admits online errors, 24 July 2013) as acknowledging that >the company should have done more to be ready for the rise of online >retail - a phenomenon in which Australians have become significant >personal importers buying from offshore websites. But by the end of >2013, Myer was gaining a toehold in the online space, with about one >percent of turnover coming from its online channel. It expects the >online channel to grow to 10% of turnover within 5 years. > > > >In common with many domestic retailers, Myer exploited the freedom >of the online world to jump the gun for its traditional Boxing Day >Sale, opening the online store to the annual clearance bargains on >Christmas Day. It should have been a bumper experience for the >company and the customers. But something was wrong and the Myer >website ground to a halt. Messages from frustrated Myer customers >posted on Twitter, Whirlpool and Facebook indicate that the system >was effectively useless by 6:30 pm on Christmas Day. Unable to >resolve the problem quickly, Myer closed its online site, and it >stayed down for more than a week - returning in the early hours of January 2. > >Reliance on crash test dummies? > > > > >>>>>>Read > more(<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sPaUUrocZ_QsFg5vy8XmIAeVwNuqPn7jX0G28VtU8lrZEv72ydIn580fc6Ca0S4NXd5Oh67jbVvKikE3NF4684LDrJgtGlMJkscMuoPvOE_f58s0oGvmTTJ3f1Fvw98gW1OsUhIy0QZ8OVnn9LuZxyjkET13dKbIyz1o-Y59aIlmXhu0fdsVQ2zBj0zwnFmODnr55gGFU8g=&c=iFx4NExjN6CjJ6G8ZwPPFEa0beyhZ71MUCnQpsH321g-xZTTfgsA8A==&ch=Ly1ojjBLs4xWoiiyPq5VHs6MdVH0lP31brDUrf0m-gxQKcbZP-4WZQ==>Online) > > Melbourne, Victoria, Australia [email protected] Sooner or later, I hate to break it to you, you're gonna die, so how do you fill in the space between here and there? It's yours. Seize your space. ~Margaret Atwood, writer _ __________________ _ _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
