Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1300IR // #c1300Synthesis

"“We’ve learned to bite off smaller pieces with our integrations, get them working well, and then expand." "When they ask for a car, they want to see a car. They don’t want to see a chassis and then hear you say ‘once that’s right, we’ll put on the hood, the engine, and everything else.’"

— In our words · Source: Digital Impact (Steve Lucas)

[Use when]

You're building something large for non-technical stakeholders who need to see progress.

[Why it matters]

The American Cancer Society's CIO, Ricky Koch, builds small, complete integrations with a little data first. Mistakes surface early, and business teams see something that works. A half-built big system shows them nothing they can use.

More from Digital Impact

#c1301"“Previously, we were built for large-scale project implementations. We’d take three to five years and roll them out only when they were as…Your team holds releases until they're nearly perfect and projects take years. #c1302"They want to pick up the phone because that might be their weekly conversation with somebody." "Efficiency isn’t always the right measure…You're automating away a customer touchpoint and measuring only time saved. #c1303"Instead, ask yourself, “How will this initiative make life easier for the actual people who have to use it?”" "It actually creates failure…You're approving a technology project justified by the system rather than the user.

Same situation, different book

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