[1]Despot CAD is when the Standards are in place but no one knows why they are what they are.
A Despot is:
- A ruler with absolute power.
- A person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.
This kind of environment usually appears to be run by a person who is viewed as “running a tight ship”. It may appear to be a well oiled machine, but the users are not having a good time at work.
Despot CAD is an environment that is oppressive and users are restricted in their use of the tool. The Standard is held a little too high and not flexible. People feel stifled. They are afraid to ask questions and equally afraid of getting it wrong.
By not passing on the “Why” of the standard the users often fail to understand the reasons for what they are doing. When this happens one answer is to just enforce the rules even harder. What this does is encourage people to break the rules (because they think they are dumb) and come up with their own guidelines with other users and just not tell anyone.
It is a cycle that slowly starts and appears over time. Make sure you are passing on the Why as well as the What.