Here’s a question for you, 20 readers.

Let’s say you work someplace where all information is managed by one system.  All relevant files and notes and such each have their own “module” within the the system.  There was one person trained to know how to use all of the modules.  This person left and no one replaced her.  Then there were a bunch of people who could use individual modules, but then they left, and now there are modules that no one knows how to use.  At all.  Not a soul.

Now let’s say you are in a job which requires the information in your own module.  There’s no one to train you on it because there’s no one who knows how to use it.  There might be someone in the world who knows and can train you, and you are given three choices about meeting this person: 

A) Learn how to use the module, but you’ll be the only one trained.
B) Do not learn how to use the module because you’ll be on leave in a month and if you learn how to do it, it is unlikely your place of employment will train someone else because technically someone on the payroll (you) knows how to use the module and one day you will return and you can help the new person (that is, the person who will be your new boss).
C) Plot the imminent demise of all technology, thinking records were really best left to be edged in bark by stylus anyway.  Carry out crazy scheme.  Bring down society as we know it.

The benefits to choice C are obvious.  Those of choice A include the productivity could come from the next few weeks.  Choice B would give the new boss a fighting chance, a chance denied to you.  But you’d be left in information purgatory.

What would you do?

You know, if I were to write this into a choose your own adventure story, it would be really lame.  And boring.  And it would never get printed because I wouldn’t be able to access the “adventure” module, since I am in the “choose” department.

And don’t even get me started on the people who manage the “your own” infrastructure.  They’re drunk by noon.