Enterprise system dependency rarely announces itself. It builds quietly — in side tools, inboxes, and hand-built workarounds that become load-bearing before anyone notices.
Where dependency actually hides
Spreadsheets become the real operating layer. The platform says one thing, but execution happens in Excel files, shared drives, and personal trackers. When the spreadsheet breaks, the process breaks.
Temporary fixes harden into permanent process. A workaround built for one quarter becomes the way things are done. No one remembers the original intent. No one owns the fix.
Approval chains multiply and ownership blurs. Every new compliance requirement adds a step. Every reorg shifts accountability. Eventually no one can explain who approves what — or why.
Every improvement turns into a platform debate. Teams want to fix a workflow, but the conversation always circles back to the platform. Nothing ships because nothing can be isolated from the monolith.
Why this matters
When the system is overbuilt and under-trusted, confidence drops and every change gets expensive. Leaders cannot approve improvements because they cannot see the blast radius. Teams cannot execute because they do not control the dependencies.
The result: operational drift. Work moves outside governed systems. Risk accumulates in places no audit can reach. And the next replatform pitch starts to sound reasonable — even though the last one failed.
What to do about it
The first step is not to replace anything. It is to map one critical capability — owner, decision points, systems involved — and identify where control has drifted. That is what Capability Discovery delivers in 2-3 weeks.