Further reading: Project to Product, Software, and Safety: Getting in the Same Plane

oh yeh, that will fix it

That only works if you have *in-house* IT people whom the company's owner can order around and who also create and modify the software.  Most companies and businesses, or regular end-users, simply don't have that.  We end-users mostly get our software and services from outside tech companies and consultants who may know very little about our businesses.  If you use Microsoft Access for your, say, garment manufacturing business, does Microsoft know anything about garment manufacturing?  Of course not.  So there is always a disconnect in these situations.  In my old job in garment manufacturing, we hired an IT consultant who actually had knowledge and experience in the garment industry.  And he headquartered in the garment district in New York, serving mostly clients in the same industry.

That's always a great combination - to have someone with the knowledge to build your software AND specific knowledge of the vertical market. When I was still a software consultant, it took me more time to learn the client's business than it did to build the software. My limitation was I had VERY limited experience with anything outside of running my business. My only other non-programming jobs before I started my own company were at Radio Shack (retail) and in phone-based tech support (answering calls and training staff to answer calls.)

I had one client back in the 90s who manufactured lubricants and they wanted to update their database from an old DOS system that couldn't handle the Y2K switch to something new. I had to come in for a week and learn how their whole business worked (ordering raw materials, mixing, their weird accounting practices, everything.)

I rocked it though. :)

At one point, the consultant we hired needed help himself, so he called in yet another consultant.  This happened quite often, so I had dealt with many consultants, technicians, etc., to the point that I realized the good ones were rare, like most things in life.