Which law asserts that technology works well, but organizations using it often do not?

Which law asserts that technology works well, but organizations using it often do not?

• A. Hofstadter's Law
• B. 90-90 Rule
• C. Pareto Principle
• D. Putt's Law

Answer: (D)

Putt's Law expresses the idea that technology itself can work beautifully, but the real challenge is how people and organizations use it. It’s about the gap between a tool’s capability and the value you actually get when it’s put into a real workplace. Even the best tech can fail to deliver if adoption isn’t managed, workflows aren’t redesigned to fit the tool, training is lacking, or governance and incentives don’t align with the desired outcomes. That’s why this law rings true: the problem isn’t the technology failing by itself, but the way organizations implement and use it. For example, introducing a powerful new software can work perfectly in theory, yet if employees aren’t trained, processes aren’t updated, or there’s unclear ownership of how the software should be used, the benefits never materialize. The other options describe different ideas (time estimates, incremental progress, or uneven results), but they don’t capture the specific mismatch between working technology and ineffective organizational use.

Putt's Law expresses the idea that technology itself can work beautifully, but the real challenge is how people and organizations use it. It’s about the gap between a tool’s capability and the value you actually get when it’s put into a real workplace. Even the best tech can fail to deliver if adoption isn’t managed, workflows aren’t redesigned to fit the tool, training is lacking, or governance and incentives don’t align with the desired outcomes. That’s why this law rings true: the problem isn’t the technology failing by itself, but the way organizations implement and use it.

For example, introducing a powerful new software can work perfectly in theory, yet if employees aren’t trained, processes aren’t updated, or there’s unclear ownership of how the software should be used, the benefits never materialize. The other options describe different ideas (time estimates, incremental progress, or uneven results), but they don’t capture the specific mismatch between working technology and ineffective organizational use.