John Gall

advances systems designed

“Great advances do not come out of systems designed to produce great advances"

― John Gall (1925-2014)

Inaccessibility theorem information have want need obtain

“Inaccessibility Theorem:

The information you have is not the information you want.

The information you want is not the information you need.

The information you need is not the information you can obtain."

― John Gall (1925-2014)

complex system works evolve simple scratch

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work.”

― John Gall (1925-2014)

feedback fed back change course sensory input

“Just calling it 'feedback' doesn't mean that it has actually fed back. To speak precisely: It hasn't fed back until the system changes course. Up to that point it's merely sensory input"

― John Gall (1925-2014)

system exploited

“If a system can be exploited, it will be. Any system can be exploited."

― John Gall (1925-2014)

law systems survival feedback instability

“The first law of systems survival: A system that ignores feedback has already begun the process of terminal instability.”

― John Gall (1925-2014)

system malfunction conspicuously triumph

“Systems tend to malfunction conspicuously just after their greatest triumph."

― John Gall (1925-2014)