Very timely prose. I hit your site on occasion and always enjoy your timely comments and views.

Our development team, QA, Support, Deployment etc... that is only 35 strong here in Colorado was about to become "Project Managers". Unfortunately we answer to a higher power in Baltimore and was on the brink of moving our main "grunt" development "over-there". That was the story anyway, we'll keep the creativity here and communicate the daily drudge to an out-source off-shore.

Well, that was two weeks ago and today those powers made a reversal announcement. Our VP who's originally from "India" fought hard to keep the work here and well, won. He knows there's intellegence and competence over-seas, but feels that our 8 years of effort would suffer in the end and eventually would be dissolved.

However, while our engineers may be over-paid, some-times appear lazy, keep odd hours and generally dispise process and planning are still THE MOST CREATIVE at solving problems and when the chips are down, everyone puts their personal life on hold to get it done.

I was concerned the original plan was doomed for so many of the reasons you mention. Everyone wants process documented and standardized to predictability, but truth is, it's not part of the fabric of the US spirit. We're mavericks and seat-of-pants folks regardless of how much "process" we try to put in place. I've been doing consulting and deployments for years and while I attempt to put in predictability, I prefer the "make-it-up-as-I-go-along" process.

I'm all for the success of other countries and frankly with a more global economy, I wish them well, but I agree on creativity, design and spirit. Americans solve problems throught these efforts and to dissolve such efforts is a travesty.