# Organizational Veterans and Legacy Problems By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-09-19 Here is a typical pattern an analyst will encounter at a legacy organization. A meeting is called to address a "challenging" problem that requires the involvement of a group of veteran individuals. The veterans say three things. First, they say this was done thrice over the last 12 years. Second, they spend half the meeting saying why it is impossible. Finally, they'll agree to help, but the caveat is that they are swamped. A wise analyst acknowledges all three statements, says some words to put themselves on the veterans' side, and vows not to cause more work for the veterans. Typically, the veterans send several files with the data that took them only a few minutes to pull. After a few minutes of exploration and emails, the analyst sees that the impossible problem is extremely predictable or easy to resolve with minimal data manipulation and statistical analysis. To confirm the results, the wise analyst asks the veterans if the patterns they identified are "normal." The veterans immediately reply, "Yes, this is how things typically work." After a little bit of additional work, the challenging problem is resolved. So, what can one learn from this pattern? Rarely is the work hard. Instead, the hard part is asking questions, building solidarity with the veterans, and being willing to openly explore without revealing one's expectations. As a third party or outsider, analysts have the power to get to places that managers cannot quickly get to. One merely has to ask with good intentions. #### Related Items [[Organization]] [[Analytics]] [[Problem Solving]] [[Solidarity]] [[Questions]] [[Simplicity]]