Design. The essence of complex systems is that they
tackle complexity. Think of a financial portfolio or a computer
data center. No two customer implementations
are ever exactly the same; no standard approach fits all.
Instead, complex-systems vendors must yoke disparate
subsystems into a unique design-that is, they must integrate
modules. By contrast, the goal of volume operations
is to produce atomic output that can be integrated
into larger systems without modification. In tbat world,
wbere all the components are standard and all tbe possible
permutations have been worked out in advance,
build to order really means configure to order or assemble
to order. Think of fall wardrobes sold at the Gap or
entertainment systems at Best Buy. The more modular
they are, the more they can be mass customized to meet
the preferences of specific customers, though at no time
are they genuinely custom.