June 18, 2009:

Working group of junior technologists.

Within a weak management culture they've been made autonomous, that is, placed in charge of the company's key multi-year initiative to move to a different business. The project is a disaster, for predictable reasons:

Lack of architecture: "Just do it."

Lack of technology coherence: "I found a new gem that looks really cool."

Over-engineering: "These features haven't been requested, but are implied."

Lack of responsibility: "It's the business' fault, not ours."

Arrogance: "The world has changed; you're too old to understand these new methods."