I don't know if it was depressing, but it did remind me of a large software project. You get some guy (usually) with the idea. IdeaGuy gets the ear of someone who has power to fund the project. IdeaGuy who doesn't have a froggin' clue about how anyone does their job, then proceeds to insist that certain things be accomplished that can't exactly be accomplished. Since the guy often doesn't have the slightest bit of technical competence or knowledge of the work people actually do, he thinks people are nuts when they say, "sorry, can't do that" or "sorry, that will take three times as much times as we have slated for the probject."
Throw in there a marketing and sales department that will tell customers _anything_ in order to make a sale and you gotchyer self a real fun work environment -- not to mention shite and insecure shoftware.
Bitch | Lab http://blog.pulpculture.org