Bad data from a business partner could corrupt a database, or an embedded system could wreak havoc on a plant floor. We're not planning on failure. The guys who know about the problem won't admit that you need a contingency plan. On the other side, the business people aren't aware of the risks of this problem. Because of that, no one's driving.
Someone needs to get in the driver's seat and begin drafting plans for workarounds and backups.
They may be Band-Aids, but they're better than nothing. Spreading the work among multiple business units is a good way to make sure that all the important scenarios are explored, says Hanaberry. Having a small group do contingency planning can often be too myopic. And contingency planning, like every other aspect of the Y2K project, needs to begin as soon as possible. Applications will fail before that date as well as after it.