Computers and other electronic equipment break down frequently, and our mistakes come to light. One or both parties may misinterpret the agreement or wish they hadn t signed, and contracts often have mistakes in them. Contract discussions announced or initiated during this cycle are fraught with schedule difficulties, misunderstandings, and often fall apart. It's definitely not the time to start new projects, since the purpose of this cycle is to catch-up. Products and services introduced or promoted under this cycle are unsuccessful, in terms of actual sales versus forecasts.
Customers misunderstand what is being offered, or miss the offer, and fail to buy it.
Equally often, the product is incomplete or ineffective, especially in terms of documentation, or software. We took short cuts that didn't work, or refused to reconsider previous decisions, even when we were warned otherwise. In short, we used the period inappropriately and paid the price. Sometimes we pay dearly. By mid-October, just as Mercury started to move forward again, the newspapers reported this deal was on very shaky turf on several fronts, and unlikely to be decided for at least a year.