The childishly simple nature of the problem, dates rolling from 99 to 00, quickly snowballs into the most complex tangle ever faced, due to the vast, and largely misunderstood, intricate system of dependencies which support and power modern organizations. Unique problems demand unique solutions. Of all the aspects mentioned, one becomes the single driving force behind all Year 2000 related strategies and decisions. The deadline is fixed, immutable, unavoidable and unforgiving. Forget this fact at your peril.
Time is short.
Combining this fixed deadline with the demonstrable fact that our systems are currently broken, and with our dismal historical track record of on time deliveries of computer projects, we are left with no other choice than to make the right decision the first time. There is also no time for the traditional bureaucratic rules surrounding procurement. We cannot afford the luxury of taking months to carefully consider all the angles and obeying all the rules. We have to do something not know in Corporate America, we have to make decisions based upon minimal information quickly and accurately, and then stick by those decisions for the duration. No matter the solution selected, you will still have to take inventory of your applications, find the source code of all programs, identify and correct all date calculations, recompile all these changes and then test to make sure that what has been changed is correct.