Crap Factoid

About Chokey the Chimp

skeptic — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:20:32 -0700

Chokey the Chimp is the public spokesman for The IT Skeptic's Crap Factoid Early Warning Service.

Chokey the Chimp hates crap factoids(pure B.S. that almost sound like a fact, and will be presented so often that everyone will think it true).

Crap Factoid Alerts: Strong Commitment to ITIL3, 72% trained, 94% planning, 89% predictable costs....

skeptic — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:24:33 -0700

An ITIL V3 report from Sunrise Software is rich in crap factoids, since the report itself suffers from all the methodological deficiencies we have described before. Mercifully this one may not get much airtime so we rate the risk Medium.

Crap Factoid Alert: one third of sites have completed a CMDB

skeptic — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:49:32 -0600

Here is a high Crap Factoid alert from Chokey the Chimp:
We recently demolished the EMA paper on CMDB adoption but nevertheless the paper in question is being misquoted by bITaPlanet as saying that "there’s been a dramatic jump in the number of companies that have completed their CMDB, from just 9 percent in 2006 to one-third in 2008". This is nonsense but it is nonsense that is now turning up elsewhere. Be on alert and keep the CFirehose ready.

a back-of-an-envelope re-analysis of Forrester and BMC's own CMDB research

skeptic — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:23:24 -0600

This post has been podcast.

Several readers argue well that ROI is not the right measure for a CMDB, but nevertheless management want to know what they get for their money, and BMC's own research suggests "not much".

Crap Factoid: CMDB saves $1M - The IT Skeptic

skeptic — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:59:39 -0600

A podcast of the original blog post Crap Factoid Alert: CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year .

This is a CATEGORY 1 Crap Factoid alert from Chokey the Chimp at the IT Skeptic's Crap Factoid Warning Service. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Be on EXTREME danger alert for CF "CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year". BMC and Forrester are shovelling it.

Crap Factoid Alert: CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year

skeptic — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:31:38 -0600

This post has been podcast.
This is a CATEGORY 1 Crap Factoid alert from Chokey the Chimp at the IT Skeptic's Crap Factoid Warning Service. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Be on EXTREME danger alert for CF "CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year". BMC and Forrester are shovelling it. [Update: the IT Skeptic's own assessment of the numbers here.]

Crap Factoid Alert: "ITIL is non-proprietary"

skeptic — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:43:38 -0600

Please everybody look up "proprietary" in the dictionary and understand that ITIL is proprietary. I can't believe that every single ITIL vendor is illiterate, so I have to think they are spreading a Crap Factoid. And boy! how it is spreading!

Crap Factoid alert: Fifty percent of all CMDB projects fail due to inadequate planning.

skeptic — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:59:40 -0600

Chokey the Chimp was happy we weren't seeing any CFs in May, but I knew something would come along, and I might have guessed EMA would oblige. I might also have guessed it would be CMDB-related.

Why Crap Factoids get believed

skeptic — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:42:34 -0600

We have an interesting discussion thread going on the suspension of critical faculties in the face of analyst research, and especially on the desire for it to be true. Cognitive dissonance and denial have been suggested as two causes. The IT Skeptic explores some ideas.

Yes cognitive dissonance and denial happen once they are in the drek. To get there involves other factors:

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Minor crap factoid spotted: "nearly half consider ITIL very critical to achieving their goals"

skeptic — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:22:04 -0600

The IT Skeptic's Crap Factoid Early Warning Service lists the following Crap Factoid as mild, so Chokey the Chimp is staying at "high" risk, but watch out you don't step in this one. Relatively harmless but still smells bad on your shoe.